The first Westminster Palace was built by Edward the Confessor in about 1050 and was used as a royal residence, then as the seat of Government and finally, after 1547, as the meeting place for Parliament. The fire of 1834 destroyed most of the original buildings. The new building for Parliament was designed by Sir Charles Barry in 1840. The general style is gothic.
There are two "Chambers" or "Houses" of Parliament — that of the Commons and that of the Lords. The more important and powerful of these is the House of Commons, whose members are elected by the public. The Prime Minister and most of the Government are Members of the House of Commons. The House of Lords is made up of Lords who have inherited their titles and the right to sit in the House, and "life peers" who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Government of the day.
Half of the building of Parliament is used by the Commons and the other half by the Lords. At the Westminster Bridge end is the residence of the Speaker, who presides over meetings of the House of Commons and at the other end is the residence of the Lord Chancellor, who presides over the House of Lords.
Parliament's most important function is the making of laws. Before a new law (or Bill) can come into effect, it must pass through three stages in each House and be given the Queen's approval. It then becomes an Act of Parliament. (See: Mountefield A. London. Lnd., 1979)
