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“Rule, Britannia! rule the waves” you might sing wandering amongst the buildings in Westminster, London. Or maybe not.
The UNESCO World Heritage List includes more than a thousand properties with outstanding universal value. They are all part of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.
Official facts
- Official title: Westminster Palace, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret’s Church
- Country: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Date of Inscription: 1987
- Category: Cultural site
UNESCO’s World Heritage Centre’s short description of site no. 426:
“Westminster Palace, rebuilt from the year 1840 on the site of important medieval remains, is a fine example of neo-Gothic architecture. The site which also comprises the small medieval Church of Saint Margaret, built in Perpendicular Gothic style, and Westminster Abbey, where all the sovereigns since the 11th century have been crowned is of great historic and symbolic significance.”
My visit
The clock tower on the end of the Westminster Palace is one of the most photographed of all sights in the world. We all know it as “Big Ben”. This group of buildings hosted for centuries the centre of world power and world politics, not so much anymore.
Their significance dwindled alongside the decline of the British Empire but the buildings still retain an aura of power. This picture and the video below are from 2012. The first time I came here was in 1976.
