Friday 28 September 2012

My bits of London (5)

Parliament Square is seen by most of London as a large, rather inconvenient roundabout at the junction of Whitehall and Westminster Bridge. There aren't really any pedestrian crossings to help you get to the garden in the middle; and for many years a lot of the garden was fenced off due tot he variety of protesters (now prohibited by bye-law) who would try to set up camp there.

There are, dotted around the square, 10 statues - mostly of famous politicans; including Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela.

At the bottom of the square is the Palace of Westminster; home of the British Parliament; with the iconic clock tower (now named the Elizabeth Tower in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee) housing the great bell Big Ben which chimes the hour. On the west Westminster Abbey takes up one side. To the north the former Middlesex Guildhall (now home to the UK's Supreme Court) takes up most of the side and off to the east are Government buildings leading into Whitehall.

A busy area day or night, with plenty to see. You can join the Occasional Tourist on a trip around Westminster.


A big man and a big clock

Uploaded by nat_mach on August 20, 2011
Taken in Whitehall, London
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