The
City of Westminster is a
London borough, lying to the west of the
City of London and containing much that people think of when they think of London.
Westminster Abbey is a
royal peculiar and hosts the state religious functions of the
United Kingdom, such as coronations, royal weddings and state funerals. It was here that
William the Conqueror came to be crowned on
Christmas Day 1066, and legend has it that it was in the churchyard of the Abbey that
King Arthur pulled the sword from the stone.
Next to the
Abbey is the
Palace of Westminster, better known as the
Houses of Parliament. The present structure is largely
Victorian, but incorporates the
mediaeval Westminster Hall. The tower at the south end is called
Victoria Tower, and that at the north end is colloquially known as
Big Ben, a name properly applied to the bell inside. The
House of Commons and
House of Lords sit here, watched over by the
Gentleman Usher of the
Black Rod.
Parliament Square, just outside, has statues of great statesmen from around the world:
Winston Churchill,
Abraham Lincoln and
Jan Christian Smuts amongst them. On the far side of the square from the
Houses of Parliament is
Methodist Central Hall, and the
Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral is a short distance down
Victoria Street.
Whitehall, with its government offices, and
Downing Street, home to the
Prime Minister are here. Between
St James's Park and
Green Park is
Buckingham Palace, and
St James's Palace is close by.
Trafalgar Square is at the north end of Whitehall and the east end of
the Mall.
And all this is simply the region people think of as Westminster. The city extends away to the north and west, taking in vast tracts of central London.
Westminster is also the name of a
London Underground station on the
District,
Circle and
Jubilee lines. Recently rebuilt to accomodate the
Jubilee Line Extension, it lies directly below
Portcullis House, the building which houses MPs' offices. The architecture of the rebuilt station is striking: a vast concrete-walled cavern opens up below you as you descend to the trains. At the level of the
Jubilee Line westbound platform, the deepest public area, you are perhaps as far below the ground as neighbouring Big Ben is above it. Several secure entrances allow MPs to enter
Portcullis House or the
Palace of
Westminster without even visting street level.