Westminster highlights

During this tour you will see:

• Palace of Westminster (also known as Houses of Parliament) - the seat for two houses of Parliament of the United Kingdom. Originally built as a royal palace by Edward the Confessor.
• Westminster Abbey - a large Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English and, later, British monarchs. Re-built by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. Construction of the present church began in 1245 by Henry III.
• Middlesex Guildhall - the home of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
• Whitehall - a street in Westminster between Parliament Square and Trafalgar Square. The area is recognised as the centre of the Government of the United Kingdom.
• The Cenotaph - a war memorial on Whitehall, It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and erected 1919, commemorating victory in World War I and later used as a memorial for both World Wars.
• Downing Street - the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
• Ministry of Defence Main Building - the current home of the Ministry of Defence. The building is located on the site of the Palace of Whitehall.
• Horse Guards Parade - a large parade ground off Whitehall. It is the site of the annual ceremonies of Trooping the Colour, which commemorates the monarch's official birthday, and Beating Retreat.
• Trafalgar Square - a square built to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars.
• Nelson Column - a 52 m tall monument in Trafalgar Square built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
• The National Gallery - an art museum in Trafalgar Square. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900.
• The National Portrait Gallery - an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856.
• Leicester Square - a pedestrianised square in the West End of London. It was laid out in 1670 and is named after the contemporary Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester.
• and many many more...