wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE SITE MANAGEMENT pLAN

Illustration credits and copyright references forphotographs, maps and other illustrations are undernegotiation with the following organisations:
Dean and Chapter of Westminster
Westminster School
Parliamentary Estates Directorate
Westminster City Council
English Heritage
Greater London Authority
Simmons Aerofilms / Atkins
Atkins / PLB / Barry Stow

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE SITE MANAGEMENT pLAN

The Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey
including St. Margaret’s Church
World Heritage Site Management Plan

Prepared on behalf of the Westminster World Heritage Site Management Plan Steering Group, by a consortium led
by Atkins, with Barry Stow, conservation architect, and tourism specialists PLB Consulting Ltd.

The full steering group chaired by English Heritage comprises representatives of:

ICOMOS UK
DCMS
The Government Office for London
The Dean and Chapter of Westminster
The Parliamentary Estates Directorate
Transport for London
The Greater London Authority
Westminster School
Westminster City Council
The London Borough of Lambeth
The Royal Parks Agency
The Church Commissioners
Visit London



wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

FOREWORD
by David Lammy MP, Minister for Culture
I am delighted to present this Management Plan for the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey
and St Margaret’s Church World Heritage Site.

For over a thousand years, Westminster has held a unique architectural, historic and symbolic significance where the historyof church, monarchy, state and law are inexorably intertwined. As a group, the iconic buildings that form part of theWorld Heritage Site represent masterpieces of monumental architecture from medieval times on and which draw on thebest of historic construction techniques and traditional craftsmanship. But it is as the pre-eminent symbol of democratic
government and for its continuing spiritual significance that Westminster has exerted its greatest influence, contributing to
the development of parliamentary ideals across the globe and serving as a reminder of ideas which are of prime importanceto mankind.

The Government is accountable to UNESCO and the wider international community for the future conservation andpresentation of this important site. It is a responsibility we take seriously.

This Management Plan has been developed in close co-operation with the organizations responsible for the day-to-day
care of the Site, together with the local community and others with a special interest in it. The Plan aims to provide
an understanding of the World Heritage Site within its historical and contemporary context and ensure that effective
management and conservation strategies are in place to safeguard its very special tangible and intangible qualities for
future generations.

I am extremely grateful to the many bodies and individuals who have worked so hard to produce this Plan, in particular theconstituent members of the Westminster World Heritage Site Steering Group. I am sure that this Management Plan will
help to guide the future of the site and balance the development of its potential with the effective conservation prove to be
an invaluable management tool to all those involved in the ongoing conservation and presentation of this very special place.

DAVID LAMMYwESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

CONTENTS
Introduction

1.

2.

1

Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey

1

Project details

4

The purpose of the management plan4

Timeline

9

Description of the World Heritage Site

17

1.1

Location and definition of the site

17

1.2

The history and evolution of the site

23

1.3

The WHS today: the built heritage

46

1.4

The intangible heritage

56

1.5

Archaeological deposits

57

1.6

The public realm

58

1.7

Outside the WHS: the immediate environs

65

1.8

The activities within the WHS

73

1.9

Physical and intellectual access to the WHS

79

1.10

Movement, transport and parking

80

1.11

Current ownership and management arrangements

85

Evaluation of the World Heritage Site

89

2.1

Introduction

89

2.2

The Outstanding Universal Value of the Westminster WHS and test of authenticity

89

2.3

Statement of significance

91

2.4

Test of Authenticity

101

2.5

Revising the Outstanding Universal Value

101

2.6

Statutory designations

102

3.

The management issues of the World Heritage Site

105

4.

A Vision for the World Heritage Site

115

5.

Objectives for the Management Plan

117

6.

Implementing the Management Plan

133

Appendices1

Inventory of buildings of architectural or historical importance, including statues,

143

within and close to the WHS
2Bibliography

179

3

Notes on consultations

183

4

Glossary195
wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey

introduction

Introduction
The two institutions housed in Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey
have intertwined histories stretching back over one thousand years. They are
the descendants of the royal palace-abbey compound established on Thorney
Island by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. But they continue to standat the centre of British political and spiritual life and to the world they areicons, a result of their supreme influence on the development and history of
democracy and Christianity across much of the globe.

Parliament is the means by which Britain is governed. It is composed of theMonarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It makes laws,
examines the work of Government (often limiting its power), controls taxationand expenditure, protects individuals through representation by Members of
Parliament, debates current affairs and matters of international importance,
and is the highest Court of Appeal in the land.

The Abbey’s mission is divine worship. As a Royal Peculiar it has no parish in
the normal sense of the word. In a sense, the world is the Abbey’s parish.
At the hub of one the busiest world cities, the unfailing daily services ofMatins, Eucharist and Evensong meet the spiritual needs of many. The
Abbey continues to provide the calm and contemplation reminiscent of
the Benedictine purpose, for regular worshippers and visitors alike. Major
ceremonies and events, celebrating and commemorating life and death onbehalf of the nation, are broadcast across the world and are attended byinternational heads of state.

So the two institutions and the buildings they inhabit are not museums. Yet
they are major tourist destinations, attracting many thousands of visitors aday. They come to see the buildings which are used by the world’s media asemblems of Britain. Welcoming these visitors is also part of the mission of theAbbey and Parliament, since outreach and enlightenment underpin their roles.

The challenge for the Palace, the Abbey and others is to safeguard theirheritage – the tangible and intangible qualities passed down from earlier
generations of dignitaries, clergy, artists, craftsmen and citizens – while
continuing the evolutionary journey of their central purpose and misson.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
introduction

Westminster - A unique place
A masterpiece of human creative genius
Westminster has been the seat of national sovereignty and the focus ofnational ritual and ceremony since the Saxon period. The materials, scaleand quality of the buildings and spaces which have been created here sincethat time, as well as the use of the major builders and architects of the day,c. 17th century. Westminster Hallrebuilt in 1399 by Henry Yevele.

reflect the pre-eminence of the site. Notable early patrons of the site included
internationally important historical figures, such as Edward the Confessor andKing Henry III. The buildings of both Palace and Abbey employed thepre-eminent architects and craftsmen of their day, from Henry Yevele and Hugh
Herland, the mason and carpenter of Westminster Hall, to Sir Charles Barry and
AW Pugin of the New Palace, and Wren and Hawksmoor on the later works on
the Abbey. Westminster Abbey and Westminster Palace also contain decorative
schemes, furniture and fittings, as well as monuments and works of art, of
unique and international importance.

The architectural influenceWestminster Abbey is a unique masterpiece of English Gothic, which drew on
the architectural traditions and developments of medieval Europe,
especially France.

Westminster Hall, with its internationally famous decorated hammer beamroof, is the finest piece of medieval architectural carpentry in the world.
The 19th century Palace of Westminster is also a masterpiece of Victorianarchitecture, with its internationally recognised form and skyline. The use of
the Victorian Gothic style for these buildings had an international influenceon the architecture and taste of their day and therefore on the history ofarchitecture and the decorative arts.

An outstanding example of significant stages ofhuman history
The nature and outstanding quality of Westminster Hall and Westminster
Abbey exemplify the stage of history when monarchs sought to symbolise theirpower and status in permanent monumental architecture and to legitimise
their authority by reference to divinity and the saints. Westminster Hall, as aWest Towers of the Abbey.

public building in which the early Royal Councils gathered, the courts werelocated and public trials were held, is a unique architectural survival of the very
beginnings of English soveriegnty and law. The adoption of the Gothic Stylefor the new Parliamentary buildings expressed nostalgia for medieval ideals,

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
introduction

homage to the early fathers of the parliamentary system and their struggle
for representation and liberty from over-powerful monarchs. It re-statedthe ‘religious calling’ of government, as well as the interrelationship of thehistories of Parliament and the Abbey.

The archaeological deposits lying beneath the buildings are also unique andirreplaceable evidence of the form and style of buildings, as well as the people,
economy and environment of the very earliest days of the occupation ofWestminster and the early buildings of both Westminster Palace and Abbey.
Also unique is the massive archive of original documents, stretching back to

Debating Chamber of theHouse of Lords.

the medieval period, relating to Westminster Abbey and the developmentof Parliament and the government of the British Isles, the Empire and theCommonwealth.

The worldwide influence of Westminster andits history
The Westminster WHS is a unique place of parliamentary democracy, common
law and the English Church, all of which have had an outstanding influence
across the globe.

Westminster Abbey houses the shrine of an English Saint, Edward theConfessor. As the church most closely associated with the English monarchy
for a thousand years, it is the focus of national religious occasions andceremonies. Westminster is the birthplace and cradle of the parliamentary
system of democracy. Over the centuries, important British historical figures- citizens, lords, bishops, and monarchs - have given their faith, passion
and pride in the service of parliament and its evolution. Closely related
to parliamentary authority has been the development, at Westminster, ofcommon law, including the concept of trial by jury. Both systems have beenemulated internationally and Westminster is recognised as a symbol of
democracy to this day.

The intertwined history, at Westminster, of church, monarchy, state and law, islong and continuing, in some cases in the buildings and apartments in which
the history began. This is unique to Westminster. The Palace of Westminster isstill the home of the British Parliament and Westminster Abbey continues toprovide the Christian setting for key national and royal events.

Westminster Abbey. A view ofHenry VII Chapel.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
introduction

Project details
This is the management plan for the Westminster World Heritage Site, thePalace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey including St Margaret’s Church. It
has been prepared by a steering group with a consultant team led by Atkins,
which includes conservation architect Barry Stow and tourism specialists
PLB Consulting Ltd.
The full steering group comprises representatives of DCMS, The Government
Office for London, The Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey, The
Parliamentary Estates Directorate, Transport for London, The Greater London
Authority, Westminster School, Westminster City Council, The London Boroughof Lambeth, The Royal Parks Agency, ICOMOS UK, The Church Commissioners
and Visit London.
Consultation has played an essential part in the development of the plan.
Three workshops were held with key stakeholder groups to identify issues
and objectives, focusing on: tourism and the economy; community and usergroups; and the public realm and conservation. Wider consultation wasundertaken on the Draft Management Plan, including its presention on the
English Heritage and GLA websites.
This World Heritage Site Management Plan has been developed following
the Management Guidelines for World Cultural Heritage Sites (Feilden B and
Jokilehto J, 1993), and in accordance with the brief set out by the SteeringGroup in 2002.

The purpose of the management plan
The forward to Management Guidelines for World Heritage Cultural Heritage
Sites by BM Feilden and J Jokilehto states:
The enjoyment of our heritage depends upon its conservation. … World
Heritage demonstrates that the industry, craftsmanship, love and careof past civilisations were given to make their surroundings meaningful.
This should never cease to fill us with wonder. The past can speak to us
and help us realize where we are going in the future.
In 1987, in recognition of its outstanding universal value, the World Heritage
Committee inscribed the area formed by the Palace of Westminster,
Fan Vaulting ceiling of Henry VII Chapelin Westminster Abbey.

Westminster Abbey, including St Margaret’s Church, as one of fourteen World
Heritage Sites in the UK. The World Heritage Committee requires evidence of‘an appropriate management system’ for all World Heritage Sites. In responseto this, UK government policy aims to ensure that a management plan isprepared and implemented for all World Heritage Sites in the UK.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
introduction

An understanding of a site and those elements which make it significant mustlie at the heart of any modern approach to the management of an historicplace. Without this understanding, any proposals for change or management
activities may, at best, miss important opportunities and, at worst, be harmful
and misguided. It is also essential to look at a site in its totality, taking aninterdisciplinary approach which brings together interests and areasof expertise.
Each stage in the development of a Management Plan is incremental. It
builds on the foundation of previous work and is intended to aid both day
to day and long-term management of the site. However the Plan is a living
document, it must continue to be reviewed periodically, to take into accountnew knowledge or changes in the condition of the fabric, or simply to reflectchanging perceptions of heritage merit.
Developed in three stages during 2003 and 2004, the Westminster WHS
Management Plan:•

Provides an understanding of the World Heritage Site within its
historical and contemporary context.

•

Identifies the key features, characteristics and elements of the area,
defining the Outstanding Universal Value and cultural significance ofthe Westminster WHS and the issues which affect the site.

•

Enables an holistic view to be taken with regard to the challenges
and opportunities for the management and enhancement of the site.

•

Establishes the principles to enable the Site to be managed and tosafeguard and sustain its significance for future generations, whilst
allowing its various parts to be used effectively for theirprimary functions.

The Management Plan is not prescriptive or binding and it does not impose
control on those charged with the management of the WHS. Rather, its
mission is to enable: to complement but not supersede the relevant policies
set by the site owners and managers, Westminster City Council and theGreater London Authority; to provide guidance for day to day management
and long-term strategies; and to set a shared framework, within which themultiplicity of activities, requirements and opportunities can be balanced withthe protection of the special qualities of the site.
An example of an existing interpretation
board, in this case at the Jewel Tower.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
introduction
The study area for the development of the Management Plan

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

future of the site, unlocking the potential of its buildings, monuments, public
realm and context, for the education and further enjoyment of visitors, tourists,

introduction

It is hoped that the Westminster WHS Management Plan will help to guide theresidents and workers, without altering the principal purposes of Parliamentand Westminster Abbey.
The Plan begins with a description of the site, summarising the history anddevelopment of the institutions and buildings that comprise the WHS andcharacterising the site as it is today. From the description flows the Statementof Significance, which sets out what is important about the WHS and why.
Issues and risks which may now or in the future affect the significance of the
WHS are outlined. These concentrate on those areas of concern that may meanthat the safeguarding, understanding and enhancement of the Outstanding
Universal Value of the site are under pressure, for instance tourism, traffic andpublic realm issues. A Vision for the WHS summarises the aspirations for how
the site should be. This is followed by objectives for the Management Plan and
an Implementation Plan, containing projects and initiatives to be undertaken in
the coming years.

Sketch Aerial view highlighting keyfeatures in and around the WHS.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
timeline

Westminster World Heritage Site Timeline
Political, national andinternational events
Date

Event

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church

The Palace of Westminster

Date

1029

Event

Date

Event

7thcentury(tradition) Sebert, King of East Saxons built achurch on the site.

785

Grant of land by King Offa to ‘needy peopleof God in Thorney’.

c 960

St. Dunstan, Bishop of London brought 12
Benedictine monks to Westminster.

c 961

King Edgar granted lands to the Abbey.

1065

King Harold (Harefoot) buried at Westminster.

Residential Royal use of the site.

Consecration of Edward the Confessor’s new
church, built next to old one.
1066

Defeat of King Harold
at Hastings.

1066

Burial of Edward the Confessor behind High
Altar.

6 Jan

Harold, Earl of Wessex elected Witan andcelebrated High Mass in the Abbey.

1066

Day 1066

Coronation of William I, beginning thepractice of coronations at Westminster Abbey.

1079

Pyx Chamber built.

late 11th

First St. Margaret’s Church built, dedicated to
St. Margaret of Antioch.

Christmas

1086

The ‘Domesday’survey.

1087

William Rufus
crowned.

1097 - 99 Building of Westminster Hall.

century
1215

Magna Carta sealedby King John at
Runnymede.

1216

Accession of Henry III.
1220

Coronation of Henry III at Westminster
Abbey. Foundation stone of Lady Chapel andbeginning of Henry III rebuilding of Edward
the Confessor’s Church.

1222

Award of Papal Judges making Westminster
Abbey exempt from Bishop of London andArchbishop of Canterbury and subject directly
to the Pope.
wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
timeline

Political, national andinternational events
Date

Event

1254

Sheriffs of counties
instructed to send
Knights of the Shireto advise the King on
Finance.

1265

Parliament met inWestminster Hall,

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church

The Palace of Westminster

Date

Event

Date

Event

1245

Eastern part of C11 Abbey buildings
demolished for new Henry III buildings.

1253

Completion of the Chapter House.

1269

Apse, radiating chapels, transepts and choircomplete and new shrine received bones of
St Edward.

1272

Death of Henry III.

Late C13

Building of Abbey Nave begun. Nave of St.
Margaret’s replaced in the perpendicular style.

composed of Bishops,
Abbots, Peers, Knightsof the Shire and Town
Burgesses.
Model Parliament –The first representative
assembly, 2 knightsfrom each county, 2burgesses from eachborough, 2 citizens
from each city

C13

Centralising of theadministration ofGovernment at
Westminster.

1341

Commons deliberateapart.

1352

House of Commons sit

1292

Building work on St Stephen’s Chapel
begun.

C13

Exchequer took up permanent
residence at Westminster.

c.1365/The Jewel Tower, part of Edward III’s
Palace of Westminster built.
The Great Hall remodelled by RichardII, to include Hammer –beam roof.

in Chapter House ofWestminster Abbey.
1394-991377

10First Speaker elected.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

Date
1407

Event

The Palace of Westminster

Date

Event

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church
Date

1512

1529

Wales first represented
in House of Commons.

Fire gutted the royal residential(‘privy’) area of the Palace.

1503

Robert Stowell starts rebuilding of St.
Margaret’s.
Henry VII Lady Chapel begun, replacing C13
Lady Chapel.

1517

Completion of Nave.

1523

St. Margaret’s Church consecrated.

1540

Abbot of Westminster surrendered themonastery to dissolution. Edward theConfessor’s shrine torn down .

1560

Elizabeth I designated the Abbey as aCollegiate Church, with a Dean and Chapterof 12 Prebendaries.

1614

Palm Sunday Holy Communion taken bywhole House of Commons in St. Margaret’s
Church.

Henry VIII abandoned Westminster,
ending 500 years of royal residence.

Dissolution of theMonasteries.

1547
1556

Accession of Queen
Mary.

1560

Accession of Elizabeth I

1571

First claim of
Parliamentary privilege.

1605

Gunpowder plot.

1621

Event

Henry IV
acknowledged thattaxes must originate inCommons.

1482

1536

timeline

Political, national andinternational events

House of Commons
asserts ‘ancient andundoubted birthright’ of Englishmen
to debate any subject
in Parliament without
fear of unrest or
punishment. James I
dissolved Parliament.

c.1621

Edward VI gave the Chapel of St.
Stephen to the House of Commonsas permanent home.

Jewel Tower used as office andrecord store for the House of Lords
until 1864.

1640-60 The Long Parliament.

5th and last Parliamentof Charles I. Increasing
disagreement between
the Crown andCommons, leading tooutbreak of Civil War
in 1642.

11

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
timeline

Political, national andinternational events
Date
1660

1685

Event
Long Parliamentdissolved. Convention
Parliament, restoring
Charles II
Death of Charles II
succeeded by Catholic
James II

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church

The Palace of Westminster
Date

Event

Date

1662
1681

Event

Ashburnham House attributed to John Webb
built within the Abbey precinct.
The Speaker’s Pew set aside in St. Margaret’s
Church.

1688-89 Glorious Revolution.

Dispute between
crown and parliament,
regarding Catholic
succession and the useof Royal Prerogative
without Parliamentary
approval. Culminatedin the exile of JamesII, the accession ofWilliam and Mary andthe Bill of Rights.
1689

Bill of Rights,
incorporating the
Declaration of Rights.

1694

Triennial Act, ensuring
regular meeting of
Parliament and limiting
life-span of Parliament
to 3 years, preventing
monarchs rulingwithout a parliament.

1701

Act of Settlement,
providing forProtestant succession.

1707

Last Royal veto on aBill passed by bothHouses.
Union of Englandand Scotland. First
Parliament of GreatBritain met October.

1698

1707

1721

12

Robert Walpole ‘first
Prime Minister’.

Sir Christopher Wren appointed Surveyor to
the Abbey.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

Date
1721

Event

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church

The Palace of Westminster
Date

Event

Date

Event

Robert Walpole ‘first
Prime Minister’
1730s

1801

Act of Union.
Irish Parliamentabolished, in returnfor representation at
Westminster.

1806

Cobbett’s
Parliamentary History
appeared. Later
become known as
Hansard.

1829

Catholic Emancipation
Act.

1832

Reform bill. Electorate
increased by 57%.
Approx 20% of adultmales could vote.

1834

1867

timeline

Political, national andinternational events

Second Reform Act,
increasing malesuffrage.

The tower of St. Margaret’s Church rebuilt inearly 18th century Gothic style

1735

Facade of St. Margaret’s Church cased in
Portland stone.

1740

Memorial erected to William Shakespeare.

1745

Completion of West Towers by Nicholas
Hawksmoor, the Abbey Surveyor.

1849

Sir Giles Gilbert Scott appointed Surveyor to
the Abbey.

Palace of Westminster almost
totally destroyed by fire, apart from
Westminster Hall and Crypt Chapel.
Public competition to rebuild won by
Charles Barry, assisted by AW Pugin.

1852

New Houses of Parliament opened.

1861

Committee investigating decay ofstone in new Houses of Parliamentbuilding, concludes decay due topollution in London and poor stone.

First debate in Houseof Commons on
women’s suffrage.

13

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
timeline

Political, national andinternational events
Date

Event

1911

MPs first paid asalary from central
government.

1918

Representation of
People Act, extending
vote to women andall men over 21. First
woman MP.

1968

The Palace of Westminster
Date

1941

Commons Chamber destroyed byenemy action.

1950

New Commons Chamber (Giles
Gilbert Scott) opened.

1965

Lying in State of Sir Winston
Churchill in Westminster Hall.

14

Date

Event

1881

St. Margaret’s Churchyard grassed over.

1888

The west window of St. Margaret’s Church by
Clayton and Bell installed

1890s

The west porch of St. Margaret’s Church built
to designs by J.L.Pearson and restoration
overseen by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

1920

Funeral of the ‘Unknown Warrior’.

1928

St. Margaret’s Churchyard used as a Field ofRemembrance by the British Legion Poppy
Factory.

1965-66

900th Anniversary of the Abbey.
‘One People’ celebration

1966

Piper windows installed in St. Margaret’s
Church to designs by John Piper made by
Patrick Reyntiens.

1984

St. Margaret’s Church exterior repaired andinterior adorned by appeal organised by theHouse of Commons and launched by Speaker
Weatherill.

1996

Monument to innocent victims of oppresion,
violence and war installed adjacentWestminster Abbey and unveiled by HM
The Queen.

First soundbroadcasting ofproceedings.
1973

1989

Event

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church

Stone Restoration Programmebegan.

First televised
broadcasting ofproceedings.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

Date

1999

Event

Westminster Abbey and
St Margaret’s Church

The Palace of Westminster
Date

Event

Date

timeline

Political, national andinternational events

Event

1998

Martyrs of the 20th century (10 Statues)
installed on the west front of the Abbey
above the door and unveiled by the
Archbishiop of Canterbury in the presenceof HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of
Edinburgh.

Late c20

Major restoration of Abbey, including
cleaning and restoration of entire exterior, a
new gable cross, six new statues and work on
the exterior of Henry VII’s chapel.

Devolution of extensive
powers transferred to
Scottish Parliament andNational Assembly for
Wales.
House of Lords act,
restricting membershipof hereditary peers.

2000
2000

Summer tours of theLine of Route open to
the public.

A new Parliamentary building,
Portcullis House, completed ensuring
the provision of an office for all MPs
for the first time.

15

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

1.1

Location and definition of the siteo fDescription of the World
Heritage Sited e s c rip tio n

1.

th e

1.1.1 Details
England, United Kingdom

City:

London (City of Westminster)

WHS Names:

The Palace of Westminster;

wo rldCountry:h e r it a g e

Westminster Abbey including
St Margaret’s Church
Coordinates:

TQ 530000 179000
51o 32’ N 0o 05’ W

s i t e1.1.1.1

The Westminster WHS lies adjacent to the River Thames in London,
England. The World Heritage Site comprises three main components:
The Palace of Westminster, including the Jewel Tower, Westminster
Abbey including St Margaret’s Church and Westminster School.
They are recognised internationally both as a group of buildings ofoutstanding architectural importance and as a symbol of spiritual anddemocratic ideals throughout the world. The River Thames, Victoria
Tower Gardens and Parliament Square are significant public open
spaces adjacent to the site.

1.1.2 World Heritage Site Boundaries
1.1.2.1

The World Heritage Site is a single site but is divided by a road into
two separate areas: the Palace of Westminster and Westminster
Abbey, including St Margaret’s Church.

1.1.2.2

The Palace of Westminster site is essentially the ‘Houses ofParliament’, principally Barry’s 19th century New Palace ofWestminster but incorporating the earlier Westminster Hall, New
Palace Yard, half of Old Palace Yard and Black Rod’s Garden to thesouth. The site is contained by the River Thames and its embankment
to the east, by Bridge Street to the north and by the Victoria Tower
Gardens to the south. Its western boundary faces Parliament Square.

1999 Aerial view of the Westminster World
Heritage Site.

17

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.1.2.3

The Westminster Abbey site comprises the Abbey Church, with its
Cloister, Chapter House, Chapels and medieval and later buildings
and enclosed gardens. The Site also contains part of the Dean’s Yard
group of buildings, including some early Abbey offices, some still ino f

use and some occupied by the Westminster School. St. Margaret’s

th e

Church also lies within the site. The Jewel Tower, a remnant of themedieval Westminster Palace is an important free-standing building

wo rldwithin the boundary. The Site is bounded by Broad Sanctuary [Victoria
Street] and Parliament Square to the north; by Great Smith Street toh e r it a g e

the west; Old Palace Yard to the east and by Little College Street tothe south.

1.1.2.4

It should be noted that the boundaries of the WHS do not currentlys i t econtain all the elements or buildings associated with the Palace ofWestminster. In particular, in recent years Parliament has occupied
new buildings north of Bridge Street, including the building of New
Parliamentary Offices (Portcullis House), the Norman Shaw buildings,
and premises in Parliament Street. These currently lie outside theboundaries of the WHS.

1.1. 3 Buffer Zone
1.1.3.1

At present the WHS does not have a designated Buffer Zone. This
plan considers the possibility of defining a buffer zone or similar
designated area, which would help to safeguard the Outstanding
Universal Value and significances of the WHS.

18

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t e

The existing boundary of Westminster World Heritage Site

19

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.1.4 Planning and policy framework
1.1.4.1

The protection of the World Heritage Site at Westminster is assisted
by national legislation and local policies. These include at theo ftime of writing:th e

National

wo rld•The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979
[amended by the National Heritage Act 1983].

h e r it a g e•

The Planning [Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act] 1990.

•

Planning and Policy Guidance Note 15 [PPG15]: Planning and theHistoric Environment, The Department of the Environment 1994.

•

Planning Policy Guidance Note 16 [PPG16] Archaeology and Planning,s i t eThe Department of the Environment 1990.

Local
•

The City of Westminster Advertised Unitary Development Plan 1997
[At the time of writing the final replacement version Inspector’sReport is under consideration].

•

The Replacement City of Westminster Unitary Development Plan [Preenquiry Version. At the time of writing the Inspector’s report is underconsideration] 2002.

•

The London Plan, Mayor of London June 2004•

The London Borough of Lambeth Unitary Development Plan.

1.1.4.2

As a Royal Peculiar the Abbey is not included within the Ecclesiastical
Exemption Order 1994. However, they benefit from the Ecclesiastical
Exemption by having satisfied the Department of Culture Media andSport that: “...a procedure for the control of works conforming to thegeneral principles of the ecclesiastical exemption regime...” has been
established respecting the Abbey’s status as a Royal Peculiar.

1.1.4.3

The WHS falls wholly within the Greater London borough of the Cityof Westminster. Planning controls, guidance and designations apply
from adopted planning documents and are influenced by the status
and stage of the process of revision. At the time of writing the mostimportant documents are under the latter stages of formal review.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

Conservation Areao fDistribution of Listed Buildings

d e s c rip tio nWestminster Abbey and Parliament Square Areath e
wo rldh e r it a g e
s i t eDistribution of listed buildings
Listed buildings / statues shown are listed Grade II unless indicated otherwise
Listed structures like statues and lampposts shown thus:

21

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.1.4.4

The area is within the scope of the Mayor of London’s Cultural
Strategy published in April 2004. The London Plan addresses Culture
and Tourism, including the management of the historic environment
and World Heritage Sites. Views are also addressed and theo fforthcoming SPG will include a strategic London View Management

th e

Framework.

wo rld

1.1.4.5

The WHS is also subject to the broader context of international andnational strategic and regional guidance provided by the Europeanh e r it a g e

Union and the Government through the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister (ODPM) and the Government Office for London (GoL).

1.1.4.6

Westminster City Council’s Unitary Development Plan for thes i t eborough is the main strategic planning framework (which at thetime of writing is at the second deposit stage for replacement of
the adopted 1997 version). It contains a number of specific policies
relating to tourism, arts and cultural developments in Westminster.

1.1.4.7

The London Borough of Lambeth Unitary Development Plan has
relevance to the WHS as it contains policies for development in partsof a possible Buffer Zone for the WHS that may particularly influence
views into and from the WHS as well as its setting. The plan iscurrently under review.

1.1.4.8

Government tourism policy is set out within Tomorrow’s Tourism,
published in 2002. Tourism policy for Central London is covered by
the Mayor’s plan for tourism in London, Visit London, published in
2002. The Mayor’s office also published a consultation draft of the
Cultural Strategy for London, London Cultural Capital, in June 2003.

22

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2

The history and evolution of the site

1.2.1 Introduction
1.1.1.9

This section sets out a summary of the principal phases ofo fdevelopment of the buildings and institutions of Westminster Abbeyth eand the Palace of Westminster.

1.2.2.1

wo rld

1.2.2 Early origins
The origins of the site and its later supremacy owe a great deal to its

h e r it a g e

topographic position. The early River Thames was wide and braided,with a series of gravel islands – Chels-Ey, Bermond’s Ey, and Batter’s
Ey – standing proud of the marshy river edge. The core of the WHS
is centred on one such island, Thorney, an historic eyot within thes i t edelta created by the division of the River Tyburn as it flowed into
the Thames. It is also thought it was only here that the Thames was
fordable at low tide. The palace and abbey would be thus encircled
by a natural moat, with marshes beyond.

1.2.2.2

A Mesolithic flint axe found at New Scotland Yard shows that humanhabitation in the general area of Westminster stretches back over
7,000 years. Neolithic flints, found in New Palace Yard and Bronze
Age and Iron Age features, pits, gullies and ditches, observed in
Cromwell Place and Parliament Square, are evidence of sporadic
human use of the drier ground afforded by the island throughout theprehistoric periods.

1.2.2.3

Although the site lies upstream from the Roman city of Londinium,
a sarcophagus found in the north side of the Abbey and possible
Roman walls observed beneath the nave of Westminster Abbey,
as well as Roman pottery and walls found in Parliament Square, allsuggest that some activity took place here in the Roman period.
Indeed the great Roman route of Watling Street, crossed the River
Thames here, probably meeting the river on the site of Lambeth
Palace on the south bank and at Thorney Island on the north bank.

c. 1100 view (See overleaf).

23

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t ec. 1100 artist’s impression of the Norman Abbey and associated Thameside buildings (by Terry Ball).

c. 1532 artist’s impression of the Abbey and Palace complex showing Thorney island, (by A E Henderson 1938).

24

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.2.4

Substantial and permanent occupation here seems to have begun in
the Saxon period. Thorney Island lay at the southern end of a roadleading from the Middle Saxon settlement of Lundenwic.

o f

The precise nature of early religious foundations on the site is
uncertain, since documentary references before Edward theth eConfessor are sparse. A minster church was probably founded here

wo rldaround the late 7th century. Among the Abbey muniments is a charter(which may or may not be genuine) that records a grant of landaround 785 AD by King Offa of Mercia “…to St Peter and the needyh e r it a g epeople of God in that terrible place called at Westmunster…” Theearly minster church perhaps served the growing nearby settlementof Lundenwic. Following his appointment as Bishop of London in
957, St Dunstan recovered from King Edgar control over the minster’ss i t eestates and refounded it as a Benedictine Abbey, at the same time
restoring its church and other buildings, some of which were in ruins.

1.2.3 The Palace and Abbey: Edward the Confessor’s
foundation, 1065 – 1220
1.2.3.1

Westminster as the site of both the Palace and the Abbey began
under King Edward the Confessor (1042-1065). No later than around1050, Edward hugely increased the endowments of the Benedictine
Abbey and began to rebuild the church and conventual buildings.
Edward also took up residence in the palace adjacent to the Abbey tooversee the rebuilding and to be close to the emerging commercial
metropolis of London. Thus the bonds between Church and State
were consolidated, reflecting the sacred and the secular in the personof the King. For the first five centuries of its existence, from the 11th
to the 16th, the Palace at Westminster was the principal residence of
the English monarchy.

1.2.3.2

Little is known of the Confessor’s Palace, but it probably included aGreat Hall and a series of private chambers for the king himself. The
Bayeux Tapestry depicts the Confessor seated in a stylised Palace,almost certainly intended to represent Westminster.

1.2.3.3

The Confessor died at Westminster and was buried in Westminster
Abbey on 6 January 1066. On the same day Harold, Earl of Wessex,
became the first English king to be crowned at Westminster Abbey,

1543 view of the Palace and Abbey complex(See overleaf).

so establishing Westminster as not only the residence and burial placeof kings but the site where coronations took place.
25

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t e1543 view of the Palace and Abbey complex from Lambeth, looking towards St. James’s Palace (copied by N. Whittock from original by
Anthony van der Wyngaerde).

26

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.3.4

After the Norman invasion and the defeat of King Harold at theBattle of Hastings, William the Conqueror chose Westminster Abbey
for his own coronation on Christmas Day 1066. Having establishedo f

his first stronghold at the Tower of London, he later took up
residence at Westminster Palace.

th eWilliam II Rufus, the Conqueror’s son, built a new, magnificent Hall

wo rld

1.2.3.5at the northern end of the Palace. At 240 feet long, 67½ feet wide,with walls 40 feet high and over 6½ feet thick, the Hall was largerh e r it a g ethan any comparable building in England at that time, standing
parallel to the banks of the Thames in order to fit on the narrowplot. Throughout the Middle Ages, Westminster Hall was a place forfeasting, particularly at coronations.

s i t e1.2.3.6

William I had set about restoring order to his newly won kingdom.
There was no Parliament at this time, but it was from the assembly
known as the King’s Great Council – formed from the leading noblesof the realm and the successor of the Anglo-Saxon Council, the‘witan’ – that Parliament was to evolve. The evolution of Parliament
was also influenced by its development within the royal palacemonastery at Westminster. By the end of the 12th century, royaljustice was administered, as with all mechanisms of government,
where the king was. A series of reforms culminated in the signing of
the Magna Carta (1215), which decreed that ‘common pleas’ could
be heard in a fixed place. That place was invariably
Westminster Hall.

1.2.3.7

Edward the Confessor’s rebuilt Abbey Church, modelled on
Norman examples, was the first great Romanesque building andfirst cruciform church in England. Built of Reigate stone, it was
longer than the major churches in Normandy. The Bayeaux tapestry
depicts the five completed bays of the nave, the lantern, east end,
and transepts, which were consecrated in 1065. Edward died earlyin 1066 and was buried in front of the high altar of the Abbey
church. Work continued on the Abbey however and it was probably
completed around 1080. The monastic and collegiate buildings weregrouped on the south side of the church. They included the dorter,

Westminster Abbey nave looking east.

forming part of the east range of the cloister, the rear-dorter, thefrater range and the infirmary. In 1161, Edward the Confessor was

27

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio ncanonised and in 1163 Henry II translated his body to the new shrine,
now above ground but still in front of the high altar.

1.2.3.8

Very little remains above ground of the early church but

o farchaeological evidence survives below the current pavement and has

th ebeen examined at different times. Of the cloistral buildings that arethought to have been completed by 1100, there survive important

wo rldelements of the east and south ranges, especially the vaulted
dormitory undercroft and the Pyx Chamber.

h e r it a g e

1.2.3.9

By the 12th century, the Benedictine Abbey was flourishing, probably
housing between thirty and sixty monks. It was now the wealthiest
religious house in Britain, largely owing to the huge landeds i t eendowment given by Edward the Confessor, but also through its
association with the monarch and the revenue gained from the large
number of pilgrims who came to visit the Confessor’s shrine.

1.2.3.10 St Margaret’s Church, dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, athird-century martyr, was built in the latter part of the 11th century,
although the precise date is unclear. The church, built in the
Romanesque style to the north of the Abbey church, was foundedby the monks to meet the needs of the ever-growing population ofWestminster and ministry was undertaken by the monks of
the Abbey.

1.2.4 The Great Rebuilding: the WHS in the Medieval
Period 1220-1539.
1.2.4.1

Henry III began major reconstruction of Westminster Abbey in 1245
(see below). It reflected the adoption and augmentation by Henry of
the cult of St Edward the Confessor, and gave a grander expression
to his kingship, by laying claim to the spiritual forces that legitimised
the king’s authority.

1.2.4.2

In 1241, Henry had commissioned the creation of a new magnificent
shrine to the Confessor, to be decorated in gold and jewels andhoused in a dedicated chapel. Four years later the demolition of theabbey church began. The new building was to be even grander thanthe last, with Kentish ragstone, Caen and Reigate freestone, marble
from Purbeck and lead from Derbyshire. At high season four hundred
workmen would be employed. Features such as the rose windows
and flying buttresses in the new church were again heavily influenced

28

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t eMid 16th century. Artist’s impression of the Palace and Abbey from the east in the time of Henry VIII (by H. W. Brewer 1884).

c.1578 Westminster Abbey looking north (after larger map by Ralph Agas c. 1560).

29

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

by French examples, Italian craftsmanship was employed, particularly
for the Cosmati pavement before the high altar and the tomb andChapel of the Confessor. By 1259 the transepts, apse, crossing andChapter House were complete and in 1269, with the completiono fof the quire, consecration of the new building and the translationth eof the Confessor to the new shrine took place. The event wascelebrated with a banquet in Westminster Hall.

wo rld

1.2.4.3

Nearly a century later, work on the Abbey Church resumed and theh e r it a g e

remodelling, modifications and additions continued until the earlyInterior of the Chapter House.

16th century. A ‘Galilee’ porch was added to the north transept in
1362. The remainder of the old nave was pulled down and workon the completion of the new nave began in 1376. The Chapels i t eof St Dunstan was rebuilt in the 15th century and a chapel of St
Erasmus was added to the Lady Chapel in the third quarter of the
15th century. By the end of the 15th century, the nave was virtuallyfinished. Henry VII pulled down the chapel of St Erasmus and theLady Chapel replacing it with the magnificent new Lady Chapel,
with its fan vaulting and the figures of one hundred and seven saints
lining the walls. It was consecrated in 1509.

1.2.4.4

Many of the monastic buildings, including the Frater, Dorter andInfirmary buildings, were destroyed by fire in 1298. They were
gradually rebuilt during the 14th century.

1.2.4.5

The Abbey precinct had probably been enclosed by boundary walls
and a ditch by around 1180 AD. The total area covered by the Abbey
precinct was approximately fourteen acres and it owned many of
the houses close by. The precinct was divided into the southernand northern precincts. The southern precinct included the cloister,
dormitory, abbot’s lodgings, the abbey garden and other private
areas of the abbey. The northern precinct was the public space.
It included the parish church of St Margaret and the processionalroutes to the west and north doors of the Abbey Church and was
the site of the great October Fair from the 13th century.

30

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.4.6

The first St Margaret’s Church survived until the reign of Edward III.
Its nave was then replaced with one in the perpendicular style, thechancel still being in good repair at that time. Towards the end ofo f

the 15th century St Margaret’s Church had fallen into such a state of
dilapidation that it needed almost total reconstruction.

th eRobert Stowell began to rebuild the church in 1482. The work

9 April 1523.

The institutions of government evolved in the Westminster area. In
addition to the King’s Great Council, from the mid-13th century it
became increasingly usual to summon knights from the shires andburgesses from the towns. In the 14th century they began to meetmodern House of Commons. Parliament began to convene on as i t etogether, apart from the Lords, and from this assembly evolved theh e r it a g e

1.2.4.7

St. Margaret’s Church looking East.

wo rldcontinued over many years and the new church was consecrated on

regular basis at Westminster from the reign of Edward I. The Lords
sat in the newly completed Queen’s Chamber but the Commons did
not have a permanent home on site and so from 1352 to 1547 theytended to sit in the Chapter House or the refectory of the Abbey.
The future architectural development of the Palace was therefore
inextricably bound up with its role as the meeting place for bothHouses of Parliament and of the Courts of Law.

1.2.4.8

Henry III also remodelled Westminster Palace in the 13th century,
adding new chambers for the Queen and decorating the Painted
Chamber. Edward I completed the decoration of the Painted
Chamber. He also founded St Stephen’s College and Chapel andbegan the two storey Chapel in 1292, although it was not completed
until the reign of Edward III.

1.2.4.9

By the late 13th century the layout of Westminster Palace resembled
many English castles, with its high stone walls and gates. Throughout
the 14th century the privy and public parts of the Palace at
Westminster, now called the Great Palace, continued to develop.
Edward lll built a high clock tower in the courtyard to the north of
the Great Hall, and the Jewel Tower at the south-west corner of the
Palace. By the reign of Edward’s grandson, Richard ll, the Palace, andparticularly the Great Hall, had become the heart of English secularand, to an extent, ceremonial life. Richard’s extensive remodelling of31

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

the Great Hall included the raising of the side walls, the roofing of
the whole building in one span, the addition of flying buttresses tosupport the weight of the roof and the entire rearrangement of thebays and windows. The magnificent roof featured hammer beams,

o feach of which terminated in a carved angel holding a shield with theth eKing’s personal coat of arms impaled with that of the Confessor’s.
The interior was richly and emphatically decorated with Richard’s

wo rldInterior of Westminster Hall looking south.

personal emblems, particularly the White Hart. A series of life-size,
colourful statues of kings completed the scheme.

h e r it a g e

1.2.4.10 The royal residence came to occupy an area of over 131/2 acres,
including some land reclaimed from the Thames in the 14th century
It consisted of the outer court (or New Palace Yard), the middle courts i t e(or the Green Yard) and the inner court (or Old Palace Yard) andSt Stephen’s Court.

1.2.4.11 Westminster’s status as the centre of Government and law wasincreasingly consolidated. By the late 15th century the main Courtsof Law, as they were now known, comprising the Kings Bench,
the Court of Chancery and the Court of ‘Commons Pleas’, were allhoused in the Great Hall, whilst the Exchequer had been relocated toan adjoining building.

1.2.4.12 State trials were also held in Westminster Hall. Some of the mostdramatic events in British history were played out here. Edward II
and Richard II were deposed and William Wallace, after powerfully
challenging Edward l, was tried in Westminster Hall in 1305. In later
centuries individuals such as Guy Fawkes and King Charles I were put
on trial in the Hall and it was here that Burke spoke in defence of theAmerican colonies and Wilberforce spoke against slavery.
1.2.4.13 By the 15th century the Westminster area had attracted and become
congested with business activities. With the crowds came diseaseand crime. Broad Sanctuary retains the name of the religious
sanctuary provided for certain crimes. Residential properties andshops even existed within the precincts of Westminster Abbey.

32

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.4.14 In 1512, the royal residential (or ‘privy’) area of the Palace was guttedby fire. In 1529, although it remained the seat of government, Henry
VIII abandoned Westminster as a residence, in favour of the Palaceo fwhich came to be known as Whitehall. The ruins of the Privy Palace
were demolished, thus ending almost 500 years of royal residence.

th e

Although it retained the status of a Royal Palace, with coronation

Westminster Palace subsequently became devoted to administrationand law.

1.2.5.1

Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536 (see below), theStephen’s Chapel in 1547 as their own assembly chamber. The lowers i t eCommons were granted the upper chamber of the deconsecrated St

h e r it a g e

1.2.5 The Dissolution and beyond: The WHS in the
post-medieval period 1539-1834

Norman Undercroft in Westminster Abbey.

wo rldbanquets being held in Westminster Hall until the 19th century,

chamber was used by the Speaker. St Stephen’s Chapel was longand narrow, with collegiate style stalls facing each other across thechamber. The Commons retained this seating arrangement and raised
the Speaker’s Chair on the altar steps and installed a central table
for the clerks. The layout later was faithfully copied in Barry’s New
Parliamentary Buildings of the 19th century.

1.2.5.2

Parliament met more frequently in the 16th and 17th centuries, but
was still dependent on royal summons. The ad hoc arrangements
for meetings held on an occasional basis in certain rooms of thepalace, gradually evolved into normal patterns of use. The officials
who served Parliament (the speaker, the clerks of the two houses),
were given permanent residences within the palace. Meanwhile,the senior courts had consolidated their hold on the areas flanking
Westminster Hall. Court-rooms were built within the Hall itself, with
offices serving them in adjacent wings. Westminster became a sceneof regular official business, and gradually coffee-houses, taverns andstalls grew up to serve it. Both Parliament and the higher courts
were also generating large volumes of records, and other parts ofthe buildings, notably the Pyx Chamber and the Chapter House in
the Abbey, were adapted as record offices. In the early 19th century,
as part of the restoration of the Hall, the courts were re-housed in a
new building, designed by Sir John Soane, adjoining the Hall.

33

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t e1593. View looking west (Norden’s plan).
34

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t e1682 Morgan map.
35

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.5.3

In 1691 Christopher Wren reported on the poor state of St Stephen’s
Chapel and members asked William III for a new home for the
Commons. When this was refused Wren set about a programme ofradical repairs to the medieval building. This included the demolitiono fof the clerestory, the installation of a false ceiling, blocking ofth e

the perpendicular windows and lining the chamber with wooden
galleries and panelling. As the number of members rose, Wren

wo rldhad to extend the galleries still further. Another petition to theking, this time George II, for a new Parliament House in 1732 wash e r it a g e

unsuccessful. The murder of the Prime Minister Sir Spencer Percival
in 1812 highlighted how the halls and lobbies of the Palace wereopen to all and members feared for their safety in the tortuous anddark passageways of the old buildings. In 1831 a committee wass i t ePlan of Westminster Abbey with colours
showing key periods of development.

formed to look into the condition of Parliamentary accommodation
but budget considerations led to another refusal, on the part of thegovernment, for an improvement programme. Until 1834 the Palaceremained a jumble of medieval buildings, patched and extended in
an ad hoc manner, often with wood, tar paper and sailcloth
1.2.5.4

The history of parliament is dominated by the issue of the balance ofpower between Parliament and the monarch. After the Civil War andthe Restoration, Parliament was in a position of greater authority andmet more regularly. Its authority increased further with the Glorious
Revolution (1689), the Act of Union with Scotland(1707), and theHanoverian succession (1714). From this period, ‘party politics’developed at Westminster, with two major groupings, Whigs andTories, emerging, contesting elections and alternating in power.

1.2.5.5 Thus political initiative had passed from the royal court toWestminster, as Britain evolved into a Parliamentary monarchy. It
has remained so ever since. Parliament is able to check the power ofgovernment and the House of Commons, the House of Lords andthe monarch must give assent to pass a law. All three are required tocomprise a session of Parliament.
1.2.5.6

The Acts of the Reformation of Parliament, including the dissolutionof the monasteries, were passed by the House of Commons as theysat in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey, where they had
been allowed to assemble for nearly three hundred years. The Abbey
was among the last of the monasteries to be dissolved. Shrines,

36

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

manors, including Covent Garden. In 1540, the Abbot and monks
surrendered the church and monastery, which was by now second

Abbey stood empty, until December when a Collegiate Church,monastery was re-established in 1556 and by 1558 there were forty
monks at the Abbey.
Following the death of Mary, the Catholic interlude ended andElizabeth I again dissolved the religious houses and the Collegiate
Church was restored, in accordance with a charter of 1560. It has

and is one of the Royal Peculiars, under the direct patronage of thes i t eremained a Collegiate Church, with a Dean and Canons, ever sinceh e r it a g e

1.2.5.7

wo rld1553 Catholic rituals were restored by Mary Tudor. The Benedictine

th econsisting of a Dean and twelve ‘prebendaries’ was established. Ino fonly to Glastonbury in riches, to Henry VIII. For much of 1540 thed e s c rip tio nrelics and images were removed and the King took over the Abbey’s

monarch and outside the Episcopal hierarchy. The buildings, all siteand compass, were transferred to the Collegiate body.

1.2.5.8

The Abbot’s lodgings became first the Bishop’s then the Dean’s houseand the Infirmary and Cellarer’s buildings were transformed into
Canon’s lodgings. Westminster School used part of the Dorter as ahall from 1599. Various other alterations were made, including theremoval of the Frater.

1.2.5.9

After the transition from monastery to Collegiate Church, the Abbey
gradually became the place where the history of the nation was
exhibited in pageantry and made permanent in stone.
In monastic days only royal personages and high ecclesiastics had
been buried in the Abbey, but from the reign of Elizabeth l, thenobility began to acquire vaults and several very large monuments
were erected. From the 17th century the great English poets, such as
Spenser, Dryden and Tennyson were interred in Poets Corner. The
burial of people in the Abbey of distinction in other spheres began
in the 18th century and included Dr Johnson, Garrick the actor,
Camden the historian and Tompion the clock maker. Musicians
were also represented by Purcell, Croft, Blow and Vaughan Williams.
Monuments to great individuals who were buried elsewhere, such as
Shakespeare, Milton, Gray and Wordsworth, were also installed.

37

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t e1746 John Rocque map.

38

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t ec.1792 Horwood map.

39

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.5.10 Christopher Wren was appointed as Surveyor to the Fabric in
1698. By the time of his appointment, the fabric of the church was
suffering from substantial disrepair and decay, not least caused by
the pollution from the rapidly expanding city. Wren instituted ao fprogramme of repair to large parts of the church, strengthening theth e1809 view of Westminster Bridge.

crossing tower and renovating the north end of the transept. He
devised plans for a central spire but they were never realised.

wo rld

1.2.5.11 The last major construction project in the Abbey’s history was that ofh e r it a g e

Nicholas Hawksmoor’s completion of the west towers in 1745.

1.2.5.12 Until about 1820, the Abbey church was poorly attended at service
time but Dean Ireland (1816-42) threw open the nave to the publics i t eand great numbers of people began to visit the church.

1.2.5.13 The association between St Margaret’s Church and the Houseof Commons began in 1614 when the Speaker led Members of
Parliament to the church for a corporate celebration of the Holy
Communion. People of note were also buried in St Margaret’s.
They include William Caxton, the English printer, and Sir Walter
Raleigh, buried under the altar after his execution in Old Palace Yard.

1.2.5.14 Despite the long-established river crossing point at Westminster, firsta ford and in later times, a horse ferry, for centuries London Bridge
was the only bridge across the Thames, providing access to the Cityand maintaining the City’s monopoly on trade. A new bridge linking
Westminster and Lambeth was opened on 18 November 1750.
Even before it was finished, the bridge structure was affected byinferior foundations. Constant remedial work kept it in service until
the present bridge was built in 1862, to a design by Thomas Page.
One feature of the bridge was the incorporation of two 2m wide
tramways. At the time of its construction it was considered to be“one of the handsomest structures that has ever crossed the watersof the Thames”.

1856 Houses of Parliament underconstruction seen from the riverside wharves,
now the site of Victoria Tower Gardens.

40

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

1.2.6.1

Parliament Square Evolution

On 16th October 1834, fire virtually destroyed the medieval Palace,save for Westminster Hall and the crypt of St Stephen’s Chapel.

o fCharles Barry with AW Pugin won the competition to design theth e

new palace. The site was expanded to about 8 acres, extending
into the River Thames by land reclamation. The redevelopment was

Costing over £2m, the new parliamentary buildings were finishedin 1870. They were in the Perpendicular Gothic style, reflecting theappearance of the Henry VII Abbey church, as well as the nostalgia ofs i t ethe day for all things medieval, English and religious. The adoption ofh e r it a g e

1.2.6.2

1870 - E.M Barry’s Square, the Law Courts ofKent and Vardy showing railings adjacent to
the Abbey.

wo rldcomprehensive, the original layout being abandoned but for theretention of Westminster Hall, the Crypt and the rebuilt Cloisters.

d e s c rip tio n

1.2.6 After the fire: 1834-1960

this style was an influence on the design of public buildings such as
town halls, law courts, and schools throughout the country and evenother capital cities. The large new ensemble towered over the threestorey yellow brick terraces and ramshackle half timbered houses of
mid Victorian Westminster.

1.2.6.3

1894-9 - The Law Courts and Abbey railings
are now demolished, the Square is otherwise
unchanged.

Order was brought to the form of the Parliament Square area withthe removal of buildings for major new developments. Clearancesof buildings took place in 1810 in order to set out the railed grassed
area north of St Margaret’s Church. More comprehensive Victorianrebuilding took place. Slum clearance and road infrastructure wasdeveloped, notably Victoria Street (1845-51), the second Westminster
Bridge (1862) together with the laying out of Parliament Square in
1868 as part of the building of the New Palace.

1.2.6.4

To the south of the New Palace of Westminster all the old buildings

1913 - Brydon’s new Government offices
enclosing the north side of the Square. King
Street disappeared and Parliament Street was
widened.

and wharves on the riverside were demolished between 1880 and
1912. Together with reclaimed foreshore, this area comprises today’s
Victoria Tower Gardens.

1.2.6.5

The old buildings on the south side of Bridge Street had been
demolished in 1866-7 to open up New Palace Yard to public view andto the north of Parliament Square buildings were demolished to makeway for the New Government Offices by J.M. Brydon, completed in
1907. The major architectural change, following the completion of

1940’s - The Square as it was prior to theredesign by Grey Wornum in 1950. Broad
Sanctuary still enclosed by the Westminster
Hospital.

41

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

the Palace complex, was the removal of the Law Courts building in
1883 which created a new view of Westminster Hall from Parliament
Square.

o f

1.2.6.6

By the middle of the 19th century Westminster stood in the midstth eof an increasingly overcrowded London, which now comprised over
70,000 houses. The very poor sanitary conditions led to a series of

wo rldcholera outbreaks in the 1840s and 1850s. The River Thames bore
the brunt of the pollution, as the city’s raw sewage was discharged

h e r it a g e

1890. Historic photographic view looking
towards Old Palace Yard from Parliament
Square showing the coordination of street
furniture and landscape conceived by Sir
Charles Barry, architect of the Palace ofWestminster.

into it. Putrid mud collected on the foreshore of the river which, still
unembanked, was often slow moving. Fish and river fowl no longer
survived the pollution. The crisis came to a peak in the ‘Great Stink’of the summer of 1858. In the House of Commons, curtains weres i t esoaked in chloride of lime to combat the stench and for a time thebusiness of the two Houses was suspended. Legislation was rushed
through, resulting in the construction of Bazelgette’s great sewage
system for London and the Victoria and Albert Embankments.

1.2.6.7

Wartime brought considerable damage to the Abbey and the Palaceof Westminster. On the 10th of May 1941, the Commons Chamber
was destroyed by the bombs of enemy action. The Abbey’s moveable
treasures had been evacuated at the start of World War II and sixty
thousand sandbags were piled around the fixed monuments.
But the bombing destroyed the library roof and set fire to the
Deanery, houses round the Little Cloister, the old monastic dormitory
and the roof of the Abbey church, including the lantern tower above
the crossing. A new chamber, adopting Barry’s form, was designed
by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and completed in 1950.

1.2.6.8

Outside the WHS, institutional and church-related buildings,
reflecting the area’s proximity to the Abbey and the seat ofgovernment, continued to be developed from the 19th century. These
including the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (1896-98), theMethodist Central Hall (1905-11), Middlesex Guildhall (1906-13) andthe Institution of Civil Engineers (1912).

1.2.6.9

Georgian Houses along Abingdon Street, which had been widenedin 1750, were demolished from the 1940s following bomb damage.

42

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

This led to the formation of Abingdon Street Gardens in the 1960s.
In 1947 a new landscaped space had been created as the setting of
the King George V Memorial adjacent to 6/7 Old Palace Yard and ino f1950 the landscape form of Parliament Square was redesigned by thearchitect Grey Wornum.

th e
wo rld

1.2.6.10 South of the Palace and Abbey precincts, the existing street patternis the descendant of late medieval paths, fields and gardens, as
altered by 18th century residential development. There has been little

h e r it a g efurther change to it since then although it was also affected by WorldWar II bombing. The area is centred on the magnificent St John’s
Church, Smith Square (restored after bomb damage) which dwarfs
the contemporary terraced houses to the north, but has itself beennorth of the church comprises a network of early 18th century streets

New Palace Yard original lamp column
example.

s i t edwarfed by 20th century buildings to the south and east. The area

and terraced houses which have survived remarkably well, retaining
much of their original character. A number of 20th century buildings
have been successfully slotted into those streets, such as North Houseand Gayfere House by Oliver Hill in the 1930s. To the south andeast of the church are large scale commercial buildings fronting onto
Millbank. At the northern end of this group are the offices of the
Church Commissioners by W.D. Caroe (1903) and Corner House,
Great Peter Street by Sir Edwin Lutyens (1911). At the southern end
are Imperial Chemical House and Thames House. These buildings
face the river and dominate views from Albert Embankment, on theSouth Bank.

1.2.6.11 The area has been the focus for a range of innovations in street
furniture. For example the railing line between the Henry VII Chapel
and St. Margaret’s Church includes supporting rings and columns of
a form used for early oil lamp lights in the 18th century. Twenty-two
years after its first testing, coal gas was used to light Westminster
Bridge in 1814. The first electric lighting in London also appeared onWestminster Bridge in 1858.

1.2.6.12 The first traffic signal, fuelled by acetylene gas, appeared in
Parliament Square at the Bridge Street junction in the late 19th
century (although it was the cause of an explosion).

43

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.6.13 A number of designs for gas lamp columns and lanterns aroundthe Palace of Westminster can be seen in early photographs fromthe 1860s. Decorative globe clusters were also used on the piers of
the railing line around New Palace Yard until the 1930s and in E.M.

o fBarry’s decorative design of Parliament Square from 1868.

th e

1.2.6.14 Drawing archives of Barry’s designs for lamp columns still exist andwo rldshow a standard column form and lantern options (some of which
may not have been used). Early photographs from the 1880sh e r it a g eshow that one standard form of clear glass, globe top lantern andbarleytwist column was used to define the perimeter and approaches
to the Palace, Parliament Square and Old Palace Yard. Thesecolumns appear to have been removed in the 1930s, except for thes i t etwo at the Peers’ Entrance (fitted with electric bulbs) in Old Palace
Yard. Eddystone decorative columns and Rochester style lanterns
were used until the 1950 improvement scheme for Parliament
Square. This saw the removal of the last Victorian elements ofcoordinated furnishings and landscape design.

1.2.7 The WHS in modern times
1.2.7.1

Less visible work and major building restorations continue on the
Palace of Westminster and other historic buildings in the area. An
underground car park for MPs took nearly 25 years of planning andconsultation to reach completion, finally topped with a garden andSilver Jubilee Fountain in 1977.

1.2.7.2

Portcullis House at the corner of Bridge Street and Victoria
Embankment was opened in 2001. Designed by Michael Hopkins
and Partners, it houses offices for 210 MPs, as well as a number ofcommittee rooms. The building is founded on the new Westminster
Underground Station which was built as part of the Jubilee line
Extension. The complex engineering feat included the constructionof the tracks and the new station around the existing Circle andDistrict line tracks. The station entailed one of London’s deepest
excavations, some 40m deep. The deep track tunnels run underGreat George Street between St Stephen’s Tower and St Stephen’s

St Stephen’s Tower popularly knownas ‘Big Ben’.

44

House, but due to the constraints of space, lie one above the otherrather than side by side.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.2.7.3

The close connection between the House of Commons and St
Margaret’s Church remains. The front pew on the right hand side isreserved for Mr Speaker, although the House has not worshippedo fcollectively there since the Thanksgiving Services held at the end of
the Second World War in 1945 and the opening of the new Chamberth eof Commons in 1950. Memorial Services for distinguished MPs arechurch have been strengthened in recent years. Winston Churchill
was married there on September 1908. The last three Rectors have

have been Members of Parliament.

1.2.7.4

For nearly a century following its completion, the public had accessYard. Existing archive drawings suggest Sir Charles Barry designed

s i t eto the whole of Old Palace Yard unlike the secure New Palaceh e r it a g e

acted as Speaker’s Chaplain and for some years the Rector’s Wardens

Westminster Hall.

wo rldnormally held here and the links between the Commons and thepermanent railings for Old Palace Yard: a scheme which was neverimplemented. Temporary crowd control ropes and barriers to markthe edge of the parking area in Old Palace Yard and at St. Stephen’s
entrance became permanent installations (only removed on Stateoccasions) since the 1970s.

1.2.7.5

From 1994 to 2001 three barrier lines defined the footway and lobby
queues. The current arrangement is designed for phased removal in
future and is completely removed on State occasions.

1.2.7.6

The current highway lighting around Parliament is achieved by ‘Long
Parliament Square’ columns and lanterns, designed by architect,Grey Wornum as part of the 1950 improvement plan. The 2002
improvements for Old Palace Yard restored the original Sir Charles
Barry design of gas lamps around the whole east and west sides of
the historic square.

1.2.7.7

The hub of the area is Parliament Square, with its world famous viewsof the Gothic Revival Houses of Parliament and the Clock Tower.
It also provides a setting for a number of statues of former Prime
Ministers (including Churchill) and statesmen(including Abraham Lincoln).

45

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.3

The WHS today: the built heritage

1.3.1 The Medieval Westminster Palace
1.3.1.1

The Palace of Westminster stands between Westminster Abbey ando f

the River Thames. The only surviving medieval parts, following theth efire of 1834, are Westminster Hall, parts of St Stephen’s Cloister, thecrypt of St Stephen’s Chapel and the Jewel Tower.

wo rld

1.3.1.2

Large parts of the side walls of the 11th century Westminster Hallremain but much of the fabric is from the 14th century remodelling.

h e r it a g e

The whole of the external, and much of the internal, stonework was
renewed in the various restorations of Kent, Soane, Smirke, Barry andPearson in the 18th and 19th centuries. Under the superintendence ofBarry most of the south wall was removed and replaced by an arch

The Jewel Towers i t eand the two towers flanking the north entrance. The roof has been
repaired and rendered safe by steel reinforcement in recent years andthe lantern is modern.

1.3.1.3

The oak roof is of twelve bays and of the hammer-beam type. All
the main timbers are moulded; the main principals are curved andform two-centred arches below the collar beams; the hammer-beams
have curved braces beneath and terminate in large figures of angels
vested in ‘dalmatics’, rising from clouds and holding shields of theroyal arms. All the spandrels have pierced traceried filling, the large
spandrels being divided into lights with trefoiled ogee heads. There issimilar filling above the collar-beams.

1.3.1.4

The Crypt Chapel, which adjoins the south-east corner ofWestminster Hall, is what remains of the two-storied medieval chapelof St Mary the Virgin and St Stephen. The chapel is of five vaulted
bays; the vaulting over each bay has moulded main, subsidiary,‘lierne’ and ‘ridge-ribs’ springing from grouped vaulting shafts withcarved and moulded capitals and moulded bases; the wall ribs are
two centred and trefoiled and the main ribs are enriched on theunderside with running fret-like patterns, which are either modern orvery much restored; at the intersection of the ribs are carved bosses.
The present rich decorations are the work of Edward Middleton Barry(son of Charles Barry) in the 1860s.

1.3.1.5

St Stephen’s Cloister is of two storeys. The north and south walls
are each of five bays, and the east and west walls each of six bays.

46

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

Projecting into the court from the fourth bay from the north in thewest walk is the “Oratory”.

The Oratory has a semi octagonal east end. It was greatly damagedo f

1.3.1.6in the fire of 1834, and, with the exception of the vaulted roof to theth eground floor, has been practically rebuilt. The lower floor is in threebays, with a semi-hexagonal bay at the east end, and has fan-vaulting
Principal floor.

similar to the floor below, but the roof is entirely modern. All theh e r it a g estonework has been repaired, and little of the original
work remains.
1.3.1.7

wo rldsimilar to that of the cloister walks. The upper floor is generally

The Jewel Tower once formed the southwest angle of the Palace
enclosure with boundary walls projecting northwards and eastwards.

s i t eShort sections of the (originally) water filled moat have been
excavated and restored to the south and west of the tower.
The moat originally enclosed the south side of the Medieval Palace all
the way to the river, where a wharf was formed.

1.3.1.8

The Jewel Tower itself is of three storeys. The main walls, thoughmuch patched and repaired, are original work of 1365-66.
Most of the windows are early 18th century replacements. The flat
topped parapets and stair-head likewise date from 1718 and replace

Ground floor.

the battlemented tops of the 14th century.

1.3.2 The 19th century parliamentary buildings
1.3.2.1

Despite Barry’s Gothic Revival building being centuries younger thanthe Westminster Hall, the ensemble forms a coherent architectural
whole. It resonates particularly well with the late Gothic form anddetail of the east end of the Abbey church, forming an architecturalbond, symbolic of the unity of church and state.

1.3.2.2

The river frontage of the building is the most impressive elevation
both by day and when lit at night. It was particularly designed to beappreciated from the South Bank and Westminster Bridge.

1.3.2.3

The New Palace was built on a bed of concrete up to 3m thick.

First floor.

The complex covers an area of 3.3ha, has over 1,100 rooms, 100
staircases and 3.2 km of passages. There are over 300 statues on themain facades of the building, representing saints and sovereigns of47

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

England from the Norman Conquest to the reign of Queen Victoria,
many of them life size. The many ornate turrets are dominated by
the Central Tower and the Victoria Tower at the south end, the ClockTower at the north end. The largest bell in the clock tower is knowno f

as “Big Ben” after Sir Benjamin Hall, First Commissioner for Worksth e

1855-1858. Both the Great Clock and the Clock Tower are often
colloquially known as “Big Ben”.

wo rld

1.3.2.4

The Palace contains eleven open courtyards, with a carriageway

h e r it a g e

joining Speaker’s Court at the north end to Royal Court at thesouth end. Star Chamber Court (so called from its position whichroughly corresponds to the old Star Chamber Building) adjoins
the Members’ Entrance to the House of Commons Court ands i t eCommons Inner Court complete the courts in the Northern
Position of the Palace. The Southern Position has six courts in twoparallel lines from south to north: Royal Court, Peers’ Court andPeers’ Inner Court lie parallel to Chancellor’s Court, State Officers’
Court and St Stephen’s Court.

1.3.2.5

The internal plan consists of a north-south spine, which contains
all the main rooms; the Queen’s Robing Room, The Royal Gallery,Prince’s Chamber- House of Lords, Lords’ lobby, Central Lobby,
Commons’ Lobby and House of Commons. On either side of thiscentral spine are the courtyards of varying sizes. Innumerable smaller
rooms branch off the principal rooms and the two main entrances
next to the Victoria Tower (Sovereign’s Entrance) and Westminster
Hall (St Stephen’s Entrance).

1.3.2.6

The whole Palace is lavishly decorated both externally and internallywith the monogram VR (Victoria Regina) and emblems of the historicconnections of the Royal Family, the pomegranate of Castile, the lilyof France and the portcullis of the Beauforts, within the distinctive
deep green, red and gold of Pugin’s neo-Gothic decorative scheme.

The house of Lords
1.3.2.7

The Queen’s Robing Room is 16.4m long, 11.2m wide and 7.6m
high, with two carved doorways ornamented with fine metal work.
An oak dado runs around the room with 18 panels of deep carving,

Central Lobby.

48

by H. Armstead, portraying stories from the legend of King Arthur.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

Above the dado are five large pictures in true fresco illustrating thevirtues of chivalry, also from the legend of King Arthur, by
W Dyce, RA.

o f

1.3.2.8

On a dais at the end of the room is the Chair of State beneath a

th e

canopy carved with the Rose of England, the thistle of Scotland, thethe back of the dais was embroidered with the Royal Arms and theQueen’s monogram by the Royal School of Needlework in 1856.

The Royal Gallery through which the Sovereign progresses for the
opening of Parliament, is 33.5m long. The side walls are decorated
by two large pictures, painted by Daniel Maclise, RA, representing

1815, and the death of Nelson at Trafalgar in 1805.

s i t ethe meeting of Wellington and Blucher after the Battle of Waterloo in

h e r it a g e

1.3.2.9

Green leather seats are used in theHouse of Commons and Red in theHouse of Lords.

wo rldshamrock of Ireland, and Queen Victoria’s monogram. The cloth at

1.3.2.10 The Prince’s Chamber serves as an ante-room to the House of Lords,
and is named after the apartment of that name which adjoined theancient House of Lords. The bas-relief, executed in bronze by William
Theed, commemorates historic events of the Tudor Period. The
dominating feature of the chamber is the massive marble statue by
J Gibson, RA, of Queen Victoria with flanking figures of Justice andMercy. The panels of the pedestal represent Commerce, Scienceand Industry.
1.3.2.11 The Chamber of the House of Lords is 59.3m long, 13.7m wide and13.7m high. It contains The Throne used by the monarch which was
designed by AW Pugin.
1.3.2.12 In front of the Throne is the ‘Woolsack’, where the Lord Chancellor
sits and two Woolsacks where the judges sit at the State Openingof Parliament.
1.3.2.13 At the north end of the Chamber is the ‘Bar of the House’. The
Commons with their Speaker stand below the Bar on ceremonial
occasions such as the opening and prorogation of the Session: areminder that Parliament was originally a single assembly.
1.3.2.14 In the Victoria Tower are stored some three million records ofParliament, including the master copies of all Acts of Parliament since1497, endorsed in Norman-French.
49

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

The house of Commons
1.3.2.15 The Central Lobby is the place where visitors and constituents cometo see Members of Parliament. It is an octagonal apartment 23mo fhigh and 18m across. The west doorway leads to St Stephen’sth eHall, the south to the House of Lords, the north to the House ofCommons, the east to the dining room and libraries.

wo rld

1.3.2.16 The Chamber for Members of the Commons contains 929 seats ofwhich 427 are for Members, 326 for strangers, 161 for reporters,h e r it a g e

and 15 for officials.
1.3.2.17 The benches, in the backs of which there are now loud speakers, areupholstered in green hide and the floor is covered with a mottled

s i t egreen carpet.

1.3.2.18 The red stripes that run the length of the front benches are
traditionally two swords length apart, and Members speaking fromthe front bench must not step over them. The furniture was given bymembers of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

1.3.2.19 The ‘Division Lobbies’ are at each side of the Chamber. Members
voting ‘aye’ go out of the Chamber behind the Speakers Chair andpass through the lobby on his right. Those voting ‘no’ go out at theother end of the Chamber into the lobby on the Speakers left. At
the farther end of each lobby, clerks record the names of Members
and a pair of Members’ tellers count them.

1.3.2.20 The library of the House of Commons occupies six rooms on theprincipal floor river front. Next to the library are in succession the‘Smoking Room’, the ‘Chess Room’, the Members’ and Strangers’
dining rooms and the Pugin Room, the Members’ tea room. On
the ground floor river front are the ‘Strangers’ Bar’, the Members’
Terrace cafeteria, several small rooms for private parties, and astrangers’ cafeteria and the Churchill Room.

1.3.2.21 On the first floor overlooking the river there are committee rooms of
Example of original sign and wallpaper in the
Palace of Westminster.

varying capacity, some holding 150 people and others holding only
30 people. Two modern committee rooms have also been provided
at the south end of the corridor, overlooking Peers’ Court. There is50

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nalso a large grand committee room adjoining Westminster Hall. Thisis a shell of the 14th century Court of Exchequer, which has beenrecased and remodelled. Since 1936 it has been equipped for theo fshowing of films and it was completely refurbished in 1975. In 2000
this was established as the Westminster Hall Chamber, a House ofth eCommons debating chamber which is used in parallel with the main

wo rldCommons chamber, but for non-contentious debates.

1.3.2.22 Amongst the parts of the Palace from which the public is excluded

h e r it a g e

the most notable is the ‘Speaker’s House’ which formed an integral
part of the original scheme and which is decorated with the samelavish attention to detail and richness of treatment as othermajor apartments.

s i t e1.3.2.23 When the New Palace was built, no MPs or peers expected to haveindividual offices, but several officials of the two Houses expected
to be provided with residences, as they had been in the old Palace.
These included the Clerks, Deputy Clerks, and Librarians for bothhouses, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Serjeant at Arms for the
Commons, and the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod for the Lords.
The residences, mostly opening off Speakers’ Court and Royal Court,
were large, generally rising from the basement, through three orfour storeys, to the roof. In the 20th century, with a rising demandfor offices for individual MPs, almost all of the residences havebeen converted: the Clerk of the Commons’ Drawing Room, forexample, is now the Prime Minister’s office. Lateral conversion of theresidences for office use has had some odd consequences, and theseareas of the building can have a labyrinthine quality, with unexpectedchanges of level and oddly juxtaposed spaces and staircases. The
Speakers’ House, always the finest of these residences, is the only
one to survive intact and in its original use.

1.3.2.24 After the Second World War, as the demand for office spacecontinued to rise, a series of additions were made to the palace,
infilling parts of the courtyards (as in Star Chamber Court) adapting
attics and roof voids (as over the main river range), or adding extra
storeys (as over the Commons Tea Room). These were designed to
be invisible from outside the Palace. They are plainer in character, andSouth transcept and its rose window.

fitted out to a lower standard, than the historic buildings.

51

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.3.2.25 The New Palace’s interiors, both the official areas and the residences,were originally fitted out to a very high quality, the decoration
observing a hierarchy in terms of the importance of the spaces. The
huge quantities of joinery, designed by Pugin, were produced byo fGrissell & Peto, the main contractors, at specially-built workshopsth e

in Lambeth. Pugin also designed and supervised the productionof a whole range of fittings, including stained glass by Thomas

wo rldHardman and Company, brass-work by John Hardman, hand-block
printed wallpapers by Crace and Company, and encaustic floor tiles

h e r it a g e

by Herbert Minton and Company. The decoration of the Palaceof Westminster had a major influence on mid-Victorian art anddesign. However, in many parts of the Palace, especially the former
residences, the original decoration was painted over or obliterated ins i t ethe 20th century. In the last 20 years, major progress has been madein researching and restoring the original decorative schemes.

1.3.2.26 Pugin also designed and supervised the manufacture of a great rangeof furniture for the Palace. Thousands of items were made, ranging
from simple chairs to elaborate desks, cupboards and sideboards.
Fittings such as clocks, inkstands, sign-holders, and lamps were also
specially designed and produced in great numbers. While muchof the furnishings have been lost, great quantities remain in the
Palace, and in recent years there has been a systematic campaign tocatalogue them, and buy back missing pieces where possible. All of
this, added to the rich and coherent decorative schemes, combines
to give the Palace a peculiarly rich and distinctive visual character.

1.3.3 Westminster Abbey
1.3.3.1

The church is cruciform in plan, with an ambulatory with fourradiating chapels beyond the crossing and sacrarium, terminating at
the east end with the apsidal chapel of Henry VII. The aisled nave
is of twelve bays, of which the four eastern are occupied by theritual ‘quire’ and ‘pulpitum’. The height of the vault above arcade,‘triforium’ and clerestory, is greater than any other major English
Medieval church.

Entrance to the Little Cloister.

1.3.3.2

At the east end of the nave is the screen separating it from thequire, designed by Edward Blore, in 1834 who also designed thegothic-style choir stalls. The crossing, scene of many coronation

52

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nceremonies, has four main piers originally designed to carry up
to form the lantern and was extensively repaired after World War
II bomb damage. The transepts are similar with east and westo f

arcades, triforium, clerestory and vault. The north transept, withits monuments to great statesman, is popularly known as theth eStatesmen’s Aisle and the south as Poets’ Corner.

wo rld

1.3.3.3

East of the crossing is the sanctuary where the High Altar stands.
The altar and ‘reredos’ behind it were designed by Sir Gilbert Scottwork. Behind the reredos, as the heart of the Abbey and also with a
Cosmati floor, lies the chapel of St Edward the Confessor, containing
his shrine. The chantry of Henry V consists of a raised platform at thethe chantry chapel above.

1.3.3.4s i t eend of the Confessor’s chapel on which stands the tomb itself with

1731 plan of Abbey and environs by Nicholas
Hawksmoor.

h e r it a g e

in 1867. In front of the altar is a 13th century pavement of Cosmati

The chancel ends in five sides of an octagon, and is surrounded byan ambulatory with radiating chapels. The Henry VII chapel beyond
consists of a nave with aisles of four bays and a polygonal chancel
with five radiating chapels, all of uniform rectangular plan with aprojecting bay-window on the outward side. The aisle and chapels
are fan-vaulted, embellished with Tudor badges and carved pendants.
Beneath the windows are 94 of the original statues of saints, placedin richly embellished niches. Beneath these hang the banners of theliving Knights of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath, founded
in 1725, whose chapel it is. In the centre of the apse, behind thealter, stands the tomb of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. Elizabeth
I and Mary I share an elaborate tomb in the north aisle, while Mary
Queen of Scots lies in the south aisle.

1.3.3.5

The Chapter House is an octagonal building with a vault supported
on a single slender pillar. Beneath seven windows (one being blind) is
a continuous arcade containing medieval wall paintings.
Two important pieces of English medieval sculpture, the figures ofMary and Gabriel, are set in aidicules above the entrance doorway.

1.3.3.6

The Grave of the Unknown Warrior lies at the west end of the nave.
Laid in 1920, it commemorates the fallen of the First World War of
1914-1918.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.3.3.7

The monastic and collegiate buildings, including those ofWestminster School, are grouped on the south side of the church.
From the Great Cloister there is access through an outer and innervestibule to the Chapter House. The Chapel of the Pyx forms of theo fformer dorter undercroft. It is vaulted in four bays from a massiveth ecentral pier. It was a royal treasury from the 13th century and today
contains two ancient treaty chests.

wo rld

1.3.3.8

The rest of the long undercroft is now used as a museum. The 11th

h e r it a g e

century undercroft is regarded as the most important such surviving
structure in England of this date.

1.3.3.9s i t eInterior view of staircase in Ashburnam
House.

Beyond the Great Cloister the Little Cloister, Little Dean’s Yard andDean’s Yard lie to the south east, south and south west respectively.

1.3.3.10 The Library and Muniment Room houses the extensive and historiccollections of books, manuscripts and archives of the Abbey. The
collection comprises the archives of Westminster Abbey to thepresent day, including accounts and records of the Abbey’s estatesand minutes of Chapter meetings.

1.3.3.11 Ashburnam House is a substantial town house within the Abbey
Precinct and is one of the finest buildings in the complex, built for
William Ashburnham. The masonry structure and the kitchen andhall walls of the earlier 14th century Prior’s Lodging are incorporated
into the red brick of the later building. The two bay west wing wasadded 1910 by A.L.N Russell, to create a symmetry that did not exist
previously. Internally the plan is not symmetrical because of the needto accommodate the medieval work. The 17th century interiors are
attributed to John Webb, a successor to Inigo Jones. The interiors arevery fine, in particular the superb staircase rising in a spacious openwell, top lit by a large lantern and dome. The staircase has a square
open well, the upper walls being articulated by Ionic pilasters andattached columns, with one free-standing column on the newel ofthe upper landing.

St. Margaret’s Church.

1.3.3.12 The very special quality of the Abbey, together with its unique
national and religious significance, have ensured that the buildings

54

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

and immediate precinct have been carefully maintained and treatedwith respect, as can be seen from the sensitivity of most of theadjacent development. The Abbey is distinguished architecturally

o ffrom its lesser buildings not only in the sense of majesty and scale ofthe building but also in the use of stone as a construction material,th e

in contrast to the ‘domestic’ buildings of a later date which arebuildings and courts have generally been maintained by careful use ofmaterials in repair and reinstatement programmes; the few examples

exception rather than the rule.
1.3.3.13 The Abbey and the precinct buildings to the south preserve therelatively small in scale and dominated by the great church. Thes i t emedieval arrangement of closed courts and narrow passages,

h e r it a g eof less appropriately scaled and located development being the

Visitors queue for entrance to the Houses ofParliament

wo rldgenerally of brick and tile. The distinctive characters of the individual

patina of age is very apparent on many of the medieval buildings
and walls.

1.3.3.14 The later buildings by Scott and others have generally respected
this urban grain, the exception being the bulk of the main elevationof Church House, facing onto Dean’s Yard, but outside the Site.
In contrast, the setting of the Abbey from the north is a very 20th
century traffic-related environment of wide streets, Parliament Square
roundabout and monolithic 19th century and 20th century
building blocks.

1.3.4 St Margaret’s Church
1.3.4.1

St Margaret’s, Westminster, stands on the north side of the Abbey.
Despite restorations in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, the structure
is substantially of 16th century fabric. The church is eight bays long,
without any structural division between nave and chancel. The
north-west tower has octagonal projecting turrets at the angles,
finished with pinnacles and an embattled parapet. St. Margaret’s haslong been proud to be known as ‘the parish church of the House ofCommons’. The close connection dates from Palm Sunday, 17 April
1614 when the whole House assembled in the church and took Holy
Communion together. The church became part of the Abbey again
by virtue of the Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret Westminster
Act 1972. This is the only medieval parish church to survive in theCity of Westminster.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.4

The WHS today: The intangible heritage

1.4.1.1

In addition to the historic fabric of the WHS, that is the buildings,
spaces, monuments, interior decoration and other artefacts,o fWestminster Palace and Westminster Abbey including St Margaret’s

th e

Church embody other elements of heritage. These intangible
elements include the continuity of use of most of the buildings since

wo rldthey were first founded or built, the staging of national ceremonies

h e r it a g e

law at Westminster, key historic events and the commemoration ofand celebrations, the history of the development of the systems ofparliament, British sovereignty and constitutional monarchy andnationally and internationally important individuals in the Abbey.
1.4.1.2

Because of this extraordinary continuity of use, the Westminster WHS

s i t eis not a museum. It is very much a living, working place. Laws are still
passed, taxes are still raised, citizens continue to be represented andthe governance of Britain and the great issues of the day continue
to be debated in the two Houses of Parliament. It remains the seatof sovereignty, the monarch ruling with Parliament, and the Queenalways opens the Parliamentary session. Westminster Abbey also
remains an important working church, with well attended daily
services and regular worshippers. Music remains central to theAbbey’s work and the Abbey continues as the site of coronations andthe focus of national worship and celebration.

1.4.1.3

The people who live, work, study and worship in the WHS continue
to develop the history of the place. Many of the events, practices,routines and ceremonies, which are part of the working day here,
have been formed by centuries of evolution of the organisations
which are housed in the WHS.

1.4.1.4

This intangible heritage is inseparable from the fabric of the WHS.
It has shaped and has been shaped by the buildings and spaces
and the individuals who have created them. The Statement of
Significance later in the document further explores the historic andsymbolic significance of the Westminster WHS.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

The WHS today: Archaeological deposits

1.5.1.1

With the long and complex history of building and rebuilding of
the Palace, parliamentary, ecclesiastical and domestic buildings on
the site, today the WHS lies on a thick palimpsest, composed ofo finterleaved and intercutting archaeological deposits and structural

th eremains. The layers of material, resulting from the activities of overaround 6m above the original natural level. The undulating contours

layers of occupation debris. The archaeological material has also
spread sideways as, in later years, the banks of the Thames were
pushed further into the river by land reclamation for the eastward

s i t eexpansion of the Palace.

h e r it a g eof Thorney Island and the River Tyburn, have been levelled up by

wo rldtwo thousand years, have led to the raising of the ground surface to

1.5.1.2d e s c rip tio n

1.5Over the last 30 years, a number of small archaeological interventions
and watching briefs have demonstrated that remains of all periods
from the later prehistoric survive, to a greater or lesser extent,
beneath the buildings and spaces that we see today. The courses of
the Rivers Tyburn and Thames have shifted over the centuries and thewater table has risen and fallen. The resulting alluvium, which bothlies at the base of and interleaves with archaeological deposits, islikely to be rich in information about the ecology of the ancient riverand the surrounding landscape.

1.5.1.3

The actual site of the Late Saxon Palace of Edward the Confessor
remains to be located. The Abbey was probably founded on thesite of a Middle Saxon minster church. Pottery of this date foundwithin the undercroft of the present Abbey and late Saxon structural
remains and ditches and evidence for a timber building, as well as an
8th century sword found on the site of the present Victoria Gardens(now displayed in the Jewel Tower), all suggest that, preserved below
ground, there are extensive remains which provide a great deal of
information on this little understood phase of Thorney Island’s history.

1.5.1.4

Of course many of the important Medieval and later buildings survive
and are in use today. However the remains of foundations and thelower courses of many of the previous buildings still exist below

57

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nground. The medieval buttresses and foundations found recently
in test pits dug against the outside walls of St Stephen’s Chapel,
indicate that at the lower levels much of the original chapel fabricsurvived the 19th century fire and reconstruction. And this is likelyo f

to be true of many of the terraces of houses and other buildings

th ethat have been built and demolished in the waves of remodelling ofbuildings and spaces around the core elements of the Abbey

wo rldand Palace.

h e r it a g e

1.5.1.5

As an important ecclesiastical site, parts of the WHS, such as east of
the Chapter House, were also designated graveyards. But it is likelythat burials will be found in other parts of the WHS, as with thediscovery of the human remains encountered during works on Sts i t eStephen’s Chapel undercroft.

1.5.1.6

The River Thames is also an area of great archaeological potential.
In New Palace Yard, deposits containing prehistoric pottery andflint indicate that the Thames foreshore here was used for early
temporary encampments. Significant artefacts, such as a Bronze Ageaxe and a fourteenth century coin hoard, have been found in theriver adjacent to the WHS.

1.5.1.7

All this evidence suggests that anywhere within the WHS, evenminor groundworks will expose significant archaeological remains,consisting of layers, pits, ditches, wells and foundations andcontaining much artefactual and environmental evidence. This
material is finite and irreplaceable. It can provide information, which
is not available from documentary and other sources, on the layout
and construction of major buildings, as well as the economy, diet andsocial life of the people who lived and worked in the area, but who
do not feature in the pageants and history books of Westminster.

1.6

The public realm

1.6.1 Introduction
1.6.1.1

From the earliest days gardens and yards were important functional
spaces for the economy and welfare for the Abbey and Palace, andInterpretation sign of the College Garden
within the Abbey precinct.

they were integral elements of the architectural layout. Three original
gardens of the Abbey remain today and one, College Garden, hasbeen under continuous cultivation for over nine hundred years.

58

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

The Garth, a square of green surrounded by cloisters was and still
is a place for gentle exercise and contemplation. The Little Cloister
Garden, with its fountain and borders of scented plants, was set

o faside for convalescing monks. College Garden was the first Infirmary
garden, established in the 11th century. Herbs for medicinal purposes

th ewere grown, as well as vines, fruit trees and vegetables. Thereconvalescing monks and today Abbey residents and staff come here

New Palace Yard.

for tranquillity and relaxation.

h e r it a g e

1.6.1.2

This section describes the ‘townscape’ context of the WHS: thepublic and private spaces, the works of art contained in them, as wellas the views into the WHS and from within it to the city beyond.

s i t e1.6.2 Spaces
1.6.2.1

wo rldwere also fishponds and beehives. The garden was also a space for

There are important spaces adjoining all the principal buildings in the
WHS, many with significant historic names reflecting their former
functions.

1.6.2.2

Spaces generally publicly viewable or accessible within the
Palace include:•

Speaker’s Green comprises lawns at low level, with a public
underpass leading to Westminster Underground Station. The terrace
and lawn fronts the River Thames to the east and Westminster Bridgeto the north and forms an important setting to ‘Big Ben’ whenviewed from Westminster Bridge.

•

New Palace Yard is a very ancient space dating from the medieval
period, its present form, laid out in 1977, is focused on a Silver
Jubilee fountain which is an interpretation of the medieval fountainfound on this site. The formal layout of decorative Indian Bean trees,
lawns and granite setts and retained Charles Barry’s decorative lamp
columns, all enclosed by original stone piers and railings to thenorth and west with Carriage Gates giving vehicle and pedestrian
access in particular to Members of the House of Commons and state
ceremonial access to Westminster Hall. They are used in the summer
recess as a public exit for paying visitors who enter at Victoria Tower
to the south to see the principal internal elements of the Palace on

Cromwell Green.

the ‘Line of Route’.

59

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n•

Cromwell Green has lawns at low level adjacent to Westminster
Hall, bounded to the west and south by a low stone wall, createdfollowing demolition of the former Law Courts in the 19th century.
This space forms the setting for the imposing statue of Cromwello fwhich at night is broodingly silhouetted against the floodlit orange

th eilluminated west façade of Westminster Hall.

wo rld•St. Stephen’s Entrance is a small York stone paved entrance forecourt,
bounded by railed enclosures forming main secure access to the
Palace of Westminster for all users and those members of the public

h e r it a g equeuing for the Commons and Lords Visitors Galleries. The railed
street furniture, bollards and chains to highway edges, lights andsigns are coordinated based on traditional forms and a black painted
livery.

s i t eRichard I statue viewed from Old Palace Yard
looking towards Henry VII Chapel.

•

Old Palace Yard (East) is granite paved at highway level (and partmain vehicle carriageway), bounded by restored original Charles Barry
designed gas lamp columns and to the west a secure railed parking
enclosure for members of the House of Lords accessing the Peers’
Entrance. The superb equestrian statue of Richard I is sited on theaxis of the St. Stephen’s Hall window. Highway lighting is achieved
with Long Parliament Square lamp columns. All street furniture in Old
Palace Yard is capable of removal for state and ceremonial occasions.

•

Old Palace Yard (West) is also medieval in origin, it is granite at
highway level (and part main vehicle carriageway), bounded bybollards and chains as a pedestrian space, with a Golden Jubilee
paved sundial (designed by architect Julian Bicknell) as a new focal
point on axis with the fine Portland stone statue of George V whichaligns with the Peers’ entrance opposite and forms an focal point of
the lawn and mature trees fronting the Chapter House.

•

Black Rod’s Garden and pass office entrance is, at highway level,
granite sett paved and is securely enclosed. Security barriers andaccessories, together with new kiosks and lodges are generally
coordinated in a black traditional livery. Bounded by the embankmentof the River to the west and with security fencing and shrub andmature tree border to Victoria Tower Gardens to the south, this area

The “Knife Edge - Two Piece” which now
stands on Abingdon Street Gardens.

60

is mainly visible only to those limited to accessing the security pass
office entrance.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n•Victoria Tower Gardens has remained as conceived, framed by
the river embankment granite wall and railings on the roadside.
Following the completion of the Palace, it was laid out as a Victoriano fmetropolitan scale public open space with mature London Plane
Trees. It contains statues, the Suffragette Memorial Wall, the Buxton

th eMemorial, a small childrens’ playground to the south, riverside raisedoutside the WHS boundary.
Abingdon Street Gardens, also known as College Green, is a modern
lawned landscape south of the Jewel Tower and opposite BlackRod’s Garden and Victoria Tower. Originally the area was probably
gardens lying beyond the Abbey Garden boundary walls. The areas i t ebecame developed with fine houses with gardens in the 17th and 18thh e r it a g e•

Ticket office for summer tours of the Palaceof Westminster with the Jewel Tower in the
background.

wo rldbenches and perimeter shrubs and lawns. This space currently lies

centuries, forming a narrow approach to the medieval palace. The
Georgian terraces lined the approach and formed a contrast in scalewith the rebuilt Palace and Victoria Tower in particular. These terraces
suffered bomb damage during World War II and the opportunity towiden and improve the alignment of Abingdon Street and provide
car parking led to their controversial demolition. In the 1960s an
underground car park was established and the current landscape
was laid out incorporating the important contemporary sculpture
buy Henry Moore. The importance of the site today is reflected in
its near daily use for media reports as a setting of high quality withthe backdrop of the Palace behind to the north. Ticket sales froma temporary structure on the lawns for visitors to the Palace in thesummer has confirmed its importance to the WHS.
•

Dean’s Yard is glimpsed from the north west through the gateway of
the Gilbert Scott designed Gothic offices facing Broad Sanctuary andfrom the less well known south eastern gateway from Great College
Street. Upon entry, the large courtyard is a delightful discovery forcasual visitors comprising a perimeter footway and kerbs defined by
granite sett channels to a carriageway which surrounds an elegant
lawn, ringed with mature chestnut trees. The east side of Dean’s Yard
includes the entry to the Abbey Cloisters in the north east corner andfurther south to Little Dean’s Yard, the whole composition including
the Chapter offices and Westminster School comprises a portrait ofVictoria Tower.

continuity of ancient fabric and uses. The school has ancient rights ofuse of the lawn which is not now enclosed although an 1815 print

61

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t eLandmarks and Key Local Views

62

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nshows that wooden posts and rails defined the earlier smaller formof the Yard. Church House on the south side, originally designed by
Herbert Baker and completed in 1939 replaced earlier buildings ando f

has an important role in national conferences. The statue of Christ
above the Dean’s Yard entrance is by Charles Wheeler.

th e

1.6.3.1

wo rld

1.6.3 Statues and public art
As befits the national focus of political thought, activity andcommemoration, a large number of statues of important persons

h e r it a g e

and other public art, may be found in the WHS. They include
famous statesmen, politicians and kings. Parliament Square is mainly
dedicated to British Prime Ministers. Old Palace Yard is dominatedby King Richard I. A full list of statues and memorials is included in
Sir Winston Churchill statue in Parliament
Square facing Big Ben.

s i t eAppendix 1.

1.6.4 Views
1.6.4.1

There are strategic protected views of the WHS. They are in therelevant policies of the Unitary Development Plans for the City ofWestminster and the London Borough of Lambeth. The London
Plan includes a section on London Views and the Mayor of London
has prepared a strategic London View Management Framework as
supplementary planning guidance.

1.6.4.2

There are important local views in almost all directions from adjacentpublic highway or publicly accessible spaces within the World
Heritage Site. Other important views beyond the World Heritage Site
are also numerous. Particularly famous views of features include:•

The river frontage of the Palace of Westminster from Albert
Embankment, Westminster and Lambeth Bridges.

•‘Big Ben’ from all angles and in particular from Parliament Square,
Westminster Bridge and Albert Embankment, and from Trafalgar
Square and when travelling south down Whitehall.

•Victoria Tower, at 365 ft, is the highest building element of the World
Heritage Site.

•

The Richard I statue in Old Palace Yard

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t eThe Character Areas

64

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN•

The Cromwell statue with Westminster Hall as background•

The main north door of Westminster Abbey•

The main west door of Westminster Abbey and the Towers viewed

o f

The Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square Gardens

d e s c rip tio n

•

th e

from the Tothill Street junction with Broad Sanctuary
Henry VII Chapel from the north, east and south

Burgers of Calais sculpture by Auguste Rodin
1915 in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Less well known or appreciated views from close within the World Heritage

St. Margaret’s Church from the east, north and west•

The Jewel Tower from the south, east and north•

The Chapter House from the east (obscured when trees in leaf).

1.6.4.3

Wider views include locations and spaces which are beyond thes i t e•h e r it a g e

Site boundary include:

wo rld•existing boundary of the World Heritage Site but form important
public realm components of its setting are:•From Boudicca Statue on Embankment•

From Parliament Square Gardens•

From Canning Green – west of Parliament Square Gardens•

From Victoria Tower Gardens•

From College Green Abingdon Street Gardens•

From George V Memorial Gardens

1.6.4.4

The main river frontage of the Palace of Westminster andWestminster Bridge as a complete composition can now beappreciated from a viewing platform on new Hungerford Pedestrian
Footbridge (from 2 July 2003 as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Bridge).

1.7

Outside the WHS: the immediate
environs

1.7.1 Introduction
1.7.1.1

The WHS today is located within an urban setting of great diversity.
As patterns of use have developed and changed, and buildings
demolished and replaced, the area today is left with a fascinating
variety of historic architecture of the highest quality. Mostarchitectural styles and many major architects are represented here.

The Methodist Central Hall, Broad
Sanctuary.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.7.1.2

It is important to understand something of the immediate environs of
the WHS, not least because this informs the consideration of a Buffer
Zone (Defined Local Setting) to protect the setting, as well as thepossible revision of the WHS boundaries to ensure that all elementso fof Outstanding Universal Value are contained and protected within

th e

the WHS. The immediate environs are described, as character areas,
below.

wo rld

1.7.2 Victoria Tower Gardens

h e r it a g e

1.7.2.1

At present the Victoria Tower Gardens to the south is not includedin the WHS boundary but forms an important part of the setting. It
contains a number of memorial sculptures, in particular the Pankhursts i t eParliament Square looking north showing
flag poles erected for ceremonial events anda long term protest site in the background.

memorial and the Burghers of Calais, by Rodin.

1.7.2.2

The earlier lodge house and gates were part of Barry and Pugin’s
rebuilding of the Palace of Westminster; the gates are adorned by
Pugin with ornate Gothic ironwork.

1.7.3 Broad Sanctuary and Parliament Square
1.7.3.1

This character area is bounded by Great George Street to the north,Parliament Square Gardens to the east, Broad Sanctuary to the south,and Matthew Parker Street, Storey’s Gate and Lewisham Street to thewest and north west.

1.7.3.2

The area is characterised by monolithic institutional, mostly 19th
century, buildings which impress their presence upon the open spacesof the north side of Victoria Street, Broad Sanctuary andParliament Square.

1.7.3.3

To the west the grand buildings of the Methodist Central Hall,
Middlesex Guildhall and now the Queen Elizabeth II ConferenceCentre sit at angles to Victoria Street and Little Sanctuary.

1.7.3.4

The hub of the area remains Parliament Square, with its world
famous views of the Palace of Westminster including the iconic ClockTower. The square is an almost austere layout of grass, Portlandstone, hard landscape of paths and walls and trees. It provides axial
vistas to the Abbey and ‘Big Ben’ and acts as a foil to the architecturalvariety of surrounding buildings and a setting for a number of statuesof former Prime Ministers and statesmen on plinths.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.7.3.5

The whole of the Parliament Square area is regularly used for formal
ceremonial events as well as for major state occasions, such as theState Opening of Parliament, Remembrance Day, Commonwealtho f

Day (when white flagpoles for flags of nations are erected defining
the perimeter of the grass square), state visits, the lying in State andth efunerals of important national individuals, Coronations, weddings

gathering for Big Ben Chimes on New Year’s Eve.

The south side of the Square is dominated by Westminster Abbey,with its complex of ecclesiastical buildings and Westminster School,
and the smaller scale St. Margaret’s Church. The lawns flanking
the north side of the Church and the Abbey are edged in original

intermittent stone obelisks. These can be seen on famous views ofs i t e18th century Portland stone plinths with characteristic railings andh e r it a g e

1.7.3.6

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.

wo rldat the Abbey including St. Margaret’s Church, as well as informal

the area by artists including Canaletto. To the west are a numberof institutional buildings dating from the turn of the century with
Canning Green as a landscaped adjunct to Parliament Square in thesame palette of soft and hard landscaped treatments with mature
London Plane trees, raised lawns and Portland stone edgings asa setting for statues of Canning and Abraham Lincoln. Behind
the Guildhall, enclosing the north side of Broad Sanctuary, sits the
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre (by architects Powell andMoya, 1986). This is one of the few late twentieth century additions
to the area, and is composed of an articulated façade of fretted
glazing Portland stone, and leadwork roofing. It confidently faces
Hawksmoor’s western entrance to the Abbey on the east side of
Broad Sanctuary. The south side of Broad Sanctuary is enclosed by
Sir George Gilbert Scott’s terrace of houses (now used as offices)
and in the middle stands the Gothic Crimean War and Indian
Mutiny Memorial, a pink column also by Gilbert Scott and erected inmemory of the fallen of Westminster School.

1.7.3.7

The northern side of Broad Sanctuary comprises a landscape design
as part of Powell and Moya’s 1986 conference centre composition,with a raised lawn and battered granite perimeter wall, ‘cobbled’
granite sett access routes including the footways and carriageway ofStorey’s Gate.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.7.4 Barton Street / Cowley Street
1.7.4.1

This is an area typified by its older street pattern, south of and closely
related to the medieval developments of Dean’s Yard and the Abbeyo fprecinct. It is a Georgian town house enclave of particularly fineth equality, especially in Barton and Cowley Street. Many of the houses
are Listed Grade II* and retain excellent original detailing.

wo rldOffice of the Church Commissioners.

1.7.4.2

Some later buildings in the area include St Edward’s Chapel in TuftonStreet and The Chapel of St Peter and St John, a freestyle Tudorh e r it a g e

Gothic Chapel for St John the Evangelist. The chapel interior is an
original and sensitive example of early English Neo-Gothic
church architecture.

s i t e1.7.4.3

On the corner with Millbank is the imposing Office of the Church
Commissioners, a large island office block designed by Caroe in1903 in what is described as an ‘eclectic yet sophisticated’ northern
Renaissance style, and with what Pevsner calls ‘nice scrolly details’.

1.7.5 Great Smith Street/St. Matthew’s Church
1.7.5.1

With the exception of Nos. 36 to 40 Great Smith Street, a remnant ofearlier Georgian development contemporary with Barton Street and
Cowley Street, this area is characterised by Victorian and Edwardianarchitecture, comprising large institutional buildings, public baths anda laundry, a mansion block and a library. The municipal buildings andother buildings are confidently decorative, in red brick, contrastingstone dressings and terracotta work. The largest building, Sanctuary
House which spans the entire block between Great Smith Street andSt. Anne’s Street, is a much more careful but blander 20th century
commercial development.

1.7.5.2

The highpoint of the architecture is the surviving fragment of G.G.
Scott’s 1849-51 Church of St Matthew on Great Peter Street in a 13th
century Gothic style, which is paired with an equally confident Clergy
House, in a restrained but nicely proportioned ‘Arts and Crafts’ stylein red brick.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.7.6 Whitehall
1.7.6.1

The wide avenue of Whitehall connecting Charing Cross to
Parliament Square is perhaps one of London’s few ‘boulevards’.

o fWhitehall Palace developed from York Place, the London residence ofth e

the Archbishops of York. Henry VIII took over Whitehall from Cardinal
Wolsey in 1512 following the fire at Westminster Palace in 1512 andthe road and was linked by two gateways. It was abandoned in the1807 view from Whitehall with Westminster
Hall and Westminster Abbey in the
background.

1690s and government departments developed there out of theh e r it a g e

residencies and lodgings of former courtiers and officials. At thepresent Banqueting House Whitehall narrowed and altered its namesimply to ‘The Street’. The broad carriageway is now lined with grands i t egovernment buildings and memorial statues, ceremonial entrances
and triumphal arched gateways.

1.7.6.2

wo rldit became Henry’s principal London residence. The Palace straddled

At the southern end of Whitehall, as it approaches Parliament
Square, the street frontage on the east side scales down to terracesof Edwardian shop front properties and a public house. Theseback onto the rear of Norman Shaw’s Scotland Yard North andSouth buildings, which turn their faces to Victoria Embankment.
On the west side the street terminates with John Brydon’s ‘New’
Government Offices of 1898-1907, now the HM Treasury building.

1.7.6.3

At the corner of Bridge Street and Victoria Embankment stands
Portcullis House, designed by Michael Hopkins and opened in 2001.
The building houses offices for 210 MPs around a central courtyard
and is built above the new Westminster Underground Station.

1.7.7 Old Queen Street
1.7.7.1

The present street pattern of this peripheral area is medieval inorigin, the medieval buildings having been replaced with Georgian
developments, in particular the large and individually designed
houses on Old Queen Street itself. To the south, closer to Tothill
Street and Victoria Street, the Georgian developments havethemselves been replaced with larger commercial and institutional
blocks, spanning the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. The Georgianmansions of Old Queen Street once presented their backs andmature planted gardens, heavy with trees, to St. James’ Park. They

View towards St. John’s Smith Square from
Victoria Tower Gardens.

are now separated from it by Birdcage Walk and urban traffic.
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1.7.8 Abbey Orchard
1.7.8.1

The character area to the west of Dean’s Yard is dominated by the20th century Department of Trade and Industry building on Victoria

o fStreet, one of the several monolithic Government buildings thatth edominate at the east end of the street.

wo rld

1.7.8.2

The area south of Victoria Street is taken up by the Abbey Orchard
Street Estate, a 19th century Peabody Trust housing development ofbrick blocks grouped around internal courtyards.

h e r it a g e

1.7.8.3

A more diverse group of buildings from an earlier period remains on
Old Pye Street and Queen Anne’s Lane, to the north and west of St.
Matthew’s Church.

s i t e1.7.9 Marsham Street
1.7.9.1

Until their demolition in 2003, this area was dominated by the three
Government owned tower blocks occupied by the Department of theEnvironment (DoE). They will be replaced by accommodation for theHome Office and mixed commercial development by Architects Farrell
and Partners. The new scheme is being designed within a much lower
planning ‘envelope’ imposed by Westminster City Council, intended
to moderate the impact of the new buildings on the WHS andits setting.

1.7.9.2

Millicant Fawcett Hall was built in 1929 on Tufton Street with anornate entrance on Marsham Street. The building was named after
the President of the National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies
who campaigned for women’s suffrage for over 60 years. The Hall
was acquired by Westminster School in August 2000.

1.7.9.3

Other buildings in the character area are of 19th century and 20th
century commercial developments, referred to derisively by Pevsneras ‘commercial palaces’ and Government buildings. They include
King George’s [Church Army] hostel on Great Peter Street and the
Employment Exchange on Chadwick Street. None are of importanceand none of them listed.

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1.7.10 Smith Square
1.7.10.1 This area comprises a formal Georgian residential square, the housesof dark red brick with lighter red brick dressings, segmental arch-o fheaded windows and with many fine original details, including door

th ehoods and decorative elements. Many of the houses are in excellent
repair. The grid of streets to the north, south, east and west originally

the west side of the Square, have been replaced with 20

thcenturydevelopment, including political and government offices. Lord North

Smith Square showing Georgian scale
townscape around the central Church of St.
John’s.

wo rldcontinued the pattern, but now many of the housing terraces, andh e r it a g e

Street, in particular, and Gayfere Street connecting to Great Peter
Street, retain the splendid Georgian terraces, virtually unchanged.

s i t e1.7.10.2 The Square and indeed the surrounding area are dominated by theParish Church of St John, a masterpiece in the English Baroque style.
Designed by Thomas Archer and built in 1728 in the centre of Smith
Square, originally dwarfing all around it, in architectural grandeur aswell as size. The church was damaged in World War II and is now aconcert hall, following complete restoration in 1965-68.

1.7.10.3 The tree-lined square provides an enclave with a mixed domestic
scale and comfortable spaces near the complex of grander buildingsof Millbank and commercial Westminster.

1.7.11 Lambeth
1.7.11.1 On the opposite side of the Thames, is the Embankment, linking theWestminster and Lambeth Bridges, which together provide a seriesof fine viewpoints across the Thames to the river façade of the Palaceof Westminster, and to the Abbey beyond. The Embankment Walk is
a popular viewing destination for tourists.

1.7.11.2 Views from the WHS and adjacent riverside embankments toLambeth are dominated by the tree-lined Embankment and threeparticular and distinctly individual buildings: County Hall, thecomplex forming the St. Thomas’ Hospital site and Lambeth Palace.

1.7.12 Lambeth Bridge
1.7.12.1 The present Lambeth Bridge is a five span steel-arch structure to a
design by Sir George Humphreys, with Sir Reginal Blomfield. The

1647 view of the medieval Lambeth Palacefrom the river.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t ePublic facilities in and around the WHS

72

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bridge is embellished with decorative iron-work and obelisks at either
end topped by pineapples. Lambeth Bridge is a Grade II
Listed structureo f

1.7.13 Lambeth Palaceth e

1.7.13.1 The Palace is the official residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

enclosure that dates from the 12th century. Despite repair after World

Lambeth Pier and Riverside Walk.

War II bomb damage, the Palace remains one of London’s most intact

wo rldIt is a complex of domestic buildings and gardens within a walledh e r it a g emedieval buildings.

1.7.13.2 The hall was rebuilt in 1660 – 1663, the original having been
destroyed under the Commonwealth. The Chapel was badlys i t edamaged in the war and was rebuilt in 1955 by Seeley and Paget.
The oldest part of the Palace, the undercroft, dates from the 13th
century. The principal impression given by the Palace is of warm
red brick, the gatehouse having a black brick diaper pattern, stone
dressings and turrets, alongside the mellowed ragstone octagonal
turreted tower of St. Mary’s Church. The church now serves as theMuseum of Garden History. Captain Bligh of the infamous HMS
Bounty is buried in the churchyard.

1.7.13.2 The river frontage of Lambeth Palace should be imagined in its
original setting, on the Thames shore and approached across thewater by boat, the west facing walls acting as a defence against
floods. Today the Palace is now divided from the river by the Victorianembankment and Lambeth Palace Road.

1.8

The activities within the WHS

1.8.1 Introduction
1.8.1.1

Although the Westminster Abbey is no longer a Benedictine
Monastery and the Palace of Westminster is no longer a royalresidence, the activities that take place in the buildings today reflect
the continuous evolution of the institutions within them. This section
summarises those activities.

1.8.2 Parliamentary activity
1.8.2.1

The Palace of Westminster houses the House of Commons andthe House of Lords, together with associated accommodation for

Portcullis House.
73

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nmembers and their staff. The buildings are used for the businessand ceremonial functions of Parliament, with offices, committee
rooms, libraries, bars and dining areas, together with terraces, achapel and a wide range of service accommodation. The Palace onceo fprovided residential accommodation for The Speaker of the Houseth e

of Commons and Black Rod, among other important officers of the
Palace of Westminster. Today the only remaining residences are those

wo rldof the Speaker and the Lord Chancellor.

h e r it a g e

1.8.2.2

Beneath New Palace Yard is an approximately 600 space
underground car park for MPs and outside the House of Lords there
is a surface level car park of approximately 60 spaces for members ofthe House of Lords. Black Rod’s Garden is a secure access point fors i t eWestminster School, view towards Victoria
Tower.

service and delivery functions.

1.8.2.3

The Parliamentary Estate includes the Palace of Westminster,Portcullis House and a range of other office buildings in the area. As
the principal employer, the two Houses of Parliament employ some
6,500 people (excluding Members of the two Houses) and their staff)
within the WHS.

1.8.3 Religious worship1.8.3.1

The Abbey is used for Christian mission and worship, as well as stateand ceremonial events, programmes of evening music and otherperformances. It is supported by a variety of office accommodation
and associated facilities for the staff of the Church and its functions.
The Abbey, Chapter House and Pyx Chamber are open to visitors andthere is a small museum, shop and refreshment facilities.

1.8.3.2

Music has always played an important role in worship andcelebration at the Abbey. Henry VIII and Elizabeth I both gave funds
for the education of choirboys at Westminster School and the first
Chorister School was opened in 1848. The choir performs at mostservices, as well as national events such as coronations and royal
weddings. Organ music has been played in the Abbey since the 17th
century and Henry Purcell, like his father, was the Abbey organist.
The Abbey and the events there attracted other musicians and music
lovers. Handal’s Coronation Anthems were first performed at thecoronation of George II and at all subsequent coronations. Charity
concerts have been held at the Abbey since the 18th century. But it is74

in the daily services, which have been sung since the earliest days of

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

the Benedictine Abbey, that music is woven into the everyday fabricand ministry of the church.

Westminster Abbey employs around 170 people.

o f

1.8.3.3

Westminster School is used for education and includes the full rangeof accommodation, including classrooms, offices, recreational anddining facilities, together with residences for staff and students.

Nearly 700 pupils attend Westminster School and the school employs
200 full and part-time staff.

1.8.5.1

The Westminster WHS lies within the St James’s ward of the City ofs i t e1.8.5 Residential

h e r it a g e

1.8.4.2

Tourist visitors queueing for the Houses ofParliament galleries.

wo rld

1.8.4.1th e

1.8.4 Education

Westminster. The population of St James’s is 6,200 people. In mid
1998, (when the ward boundary was slightly different) some 15% of
the population was aged under 16, 67% was aged between 16 and59, and 18% were aged 60 and over. Within the boundary of the
WHS permanent residential accommodation is limited. It is estimatedthat approximately 30 residencies of all types have some form of
residential use.

1.8.6 Visitors and Tourism
1.8.6.1

London is one of the UK’s prime tourism destinations, attracting
nearly 30 million tourist trips in 2001. Popular with both domestic
and international tourists, London’s tourism sector directly
contributed some £8,700 million into the regional economy in 2001.

1.8.6.2

Although most tourists to London are from the UK, overseas
visitors, who mostly come from Europe and North America, spend
nearly three times as long in the capital than domestic tourists andconsequently they are responsible for a higher proportion of theoverall tourism spend. Summer opening of the Palace of Westminster
in 2003 showed that 47% of visitors were British, 26% wereEuropean and 27% were from the rest of the world. The gallery
statistics for the House of Commons and House of Lords showed that
40% of visitors were British, 20% were European and approximately
40 % were from the rest of the world. It may be significant that arising proportion of those from Asian countries in recent years has
75wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nbeen from Korea, rather than Japan. In the Abbey 90% of visitors
are from overseas of which something under
60% are from North America, although that percentage of thewhole is decreasing.

o f
th e

1.8.6.3

Although the first four years of this century have shown declining
overseas visits to London, overseas tourism to the UK is predicted

wo rldto rise by an average of 3.4% per annum between 2000 and 2020,

Visitors can purchase timed tour tickets andcross the road to start their tour from thesovereign’s entrance.

albeit with occasional peaks and troughs as international events

h e r it a g e

affect travel and tourism. Growth rates for domestic tourism arelower, at around 2% per annum. This growth in overall tourism
activity in London is likely to be reflected in a steady increasein demand for access to the Abbey, Palace of Westminster ands i t eadjoining sites within and around the WHS.

1.8.6.4

Visitors to the Westminster WHS come to see the views of the‘Houses of Parliament and Big Ben’ and to see the interiors andmonuments within Westminster Abbey. To a lesser extent, people
also visit the accessible areas of the Palace of Westminster, including
the Jewel Tower. In 2001, the four main visitor attractions within the
WHS recorded around 1.4 million visits, of which some 70% weremade to Westminster Abbey, 22% to the Palace of Westminster, 6%
to the Chapter House and Pyx Chamber and 2%
to the Jewel Tower.

Visitors to the Palace of Westminster
1.8.6.5

As with Westminster Abbey, the Palace of Westminster is a working
building. The public visit the Palace to sit in the public gallery of theHouse of Commons, to meet their MP and on Parliamentary businessof other kinds. Many others visit as tourists. Visitors queue foradmission to the House of Commons Galleries all year round, or canarrange a tour through their MP or a member of the House of Lords.
In the summer, paying visitors can follow a designated route aroundthe Palace.

1.8.6.6

Tours arranged by Members and Peers average around 100,000
visitors per annum, and anything between 110,000 and 190,000
people gain access to the House of Commons’ and Lords’ Galleries
during the course of a year. Education groups of all ages are an
important part of the visitor mix at the Palace, particularly during the76

autumn and spring.

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

  

o f
th e
wo rldh e r it a g e

Visitors gathering at the entrance to thebook shop adjacent to the west door exit ofWestminster Abbey.

s i t eVisitors to the Abbey
1.8.6.11 The Abbey is regularly placed as one of the top ten paid-for visitor
attractions in London. The number of visits, however, has fallen
considerably in recent years, following implementation of ‘Recovering
the Calm’ which aimed to create a calm environment in which the77

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

Abbey’s mission, including its daily services and hourly prayer, could
be sustained.

1.8.6.12 Visits to the Abbey are seasonal and appear to exhibit the sameo fpattern year on year. The high season runs from June to September,th ewhen visitor numbers are at their highest. Visitor activity peaks inJune, and in the last five years has ranged from 130,000 to more

wo rldthan 150,000 (or an average of 4,400 to 5,000 per day). The
months from March to May are less busy and the most quiet periodh e r it a g e

is October to February, with visitor numbers at their lowest whenthe Abbey receives between 50,000 to 60,000 visitors which isequivalent to an average of some 1,800 to 2,150 visitors per day.

s i t eExample of signage associated with the Jewel
Tower which includes an exhibition about thehistory of Parliament.

1.8.6.13 In the recent past the Chapter House and Pyx Chamber has been
visited by only around 10% of the people visiting the Abbey. As
with the Abbey as a whole, levels of visitor activity in the Chapter
House have been highly seasonal, with the busiest month being Julywhen up to 16,000 visitors visit. The Chapter House is quietest in
December, with the low season running from November through to
February. June to August is the high season for visits to the Chapter
House, and the rest are the ‘shoulder’ months which have a lower
level of visitor activity.

1.8.6.14 The majority of Abbey visitors guide themselves around the building.
Only 2% of visitors tour the Abbey with a verger, and only 8% takean audio tour despite the fact that these interpretive opportunities
enhance visitors’ understanding and appreciation of the Abbey andits Christian heritage.

Visitors to the Jewel Tower
1.8.6.15 The Jewel Tower has seen a 35% decline in visitor numbers in recent
years, from over 34,000 in 1998/99 to just under 22,000 in
2002/03. It is the least visited of all of the historic properties within
and around the WHS and is the one with the least potential for
major growth because of the capacity constraints within the building.
Lack of space means that the Tower has a very limited catering
operation, and with retailing also restricted, the Jewel Tower, visitors
spend little here.

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Visitors to properties immediately outside the World
Heritage Site
1.8.6.16 Central Hall, Westminster and the Queen Elizabeth II Conferenceo fCentre lie just outside the WHS but attract large numbers of visitors

th eduring the day, many of whom pass through the World Heritage Siteen route to their destination.

wo rld

1.8.6.17 Tours of the Central Hall building are free and are offered seven daysa week although access to parts of the building such as the Greath e r it a g e

Hall is restricted during events and conferences. Visits to the top of
the Dome are also possible by prior arrangement and on six or sevenOpen House days each year.

for each day of the year. With an average of between 300 and 400

s i t e1.8.6.18 The Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre averages almost one event

Level access for wheelchair users to theHouses of Parliament involves negotiating aseries of complex routes which are signed
and at key points attended by staff.

people per event, this gives an annual throughput of delegates ofbetween 108,000 and 144,000 per annum. The conference market
associated with the QEII centre is estimated to generate between£16.2 million and £21.6 million per annum for the London economy
or between 2.5 and 3.5 times the amount that the Abbey, the next
highest earner from tourism, is contributing to the local economy.

1.9

Physical and intellectual access to the WHS

1.9.1 Physical access1.9.1.1

Physical access into and around the WHS and to each distinct
element of the WHS is fundamental to providing engagement withand understanding of the WHS. The Disability Discrimination Act(1995) provides the legal framework to ensure that disabled people
can gain reasonable access to places of work and to public buildings
and facilities. Historic buildings and significant sites are not exempt
from the requirements of the Act, although the provision should to
be made for reasonable access must be assessed in relation to a site’sarchitectural, cultural and historic significance.

Detail of information for disabled visitors isunder review by the Parliamentary Estates
Directorate.

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1.9.2 Intellectual Access1.9.2.1

Visitors come to the WHS to see and experience directly the senseof history, ceremony and spirituality that the buildings, spaces ando finstitutions embody. In particular, the continuity of use contained
within the WHS enables people to see and experience “the making

th eof a nation’s history”, giving the WHS outstanding relevance towo rldcontemporary visitors. Interpretation is a communication tool thatenables people to better understand, appreciate and gain new
insight into the significance of the WHS.

h e r it a g e

1.9.2.2

Around the site, Heritage Wardens are employed to patrol on the
Parliament Square Gardens, helping guide visitors to sites and to
explain a little more about the area’s significance. Etched stainlesss i t esteel graphic panels are placed at strategic viewing points across theParliament Square is an important traffic
junction as indicated by the dominant traffic
signage.

WHS to explain key buildings and streetscape views, which provide
useful information and some orientation for visitors.

1.9.2.3

Visitors are able to enjoy a wide range of interpretive media,
including web sites and audio visual presentations, graphic
panels, printed leaflets and recommended tour routes, illustrated
souvenir guidebooks, personal audio guides, artefact displays, andaccompanied guided tours. Some foreign language provision is
made, primarily in printed form and with foreign language
speaking guides.

1.9.2.4

Conversely, the many people who live and work in the WHS
need places to gather for recreation and relaxation. In addition,
visitors appreciate a welcome contrast to the frequently crowded
environment of Westminster. The variety of open spaces in andaround the WHS provides a vital ‘restorative’ function for people
wanting to picnic, play and generally relax.

1.10 Movement, transport and parking
1.10.1 Introduction
1.10.1.1 As with any modern capital city, traffic has a major effect on living,working and visiting London. This is particularly acute in the areaaround the WHS, where public transport brings people to the site butwhere the heavy traffic can have an impact on pedestrian comfort
and safety. This section on movement, transport and parking sets out
80wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

the current situation, focusing on traffic, public transport, cyclists
and pedestrians.

o f

1.10.2 Traffic(which is classified as a strategic road); and Parliament Street,are secondary roads). Parliament Square is thus a heavily traffickedintersection and strategic road. It is a one-way system of up to four

1.10.2.2 St Margaret Street bisects the WHS before it becomes Millbank, tothe south of the site, where it connects to Lambeth Bridge (A3203).

are classified as TLRN roads. Bridge Street becomes Westminsters i t eLambeth Bridge itself and Millbank to the south of Lambeth Bridge

h e r it a g elanes around the central open space.

wo rldBroad Sanctuary, Great George Street and Bridge Street (which

Bridge Street is a transport interchange
between buses, Westminster Undergroundand Westminster River Pierth e

1.10.2.1 Five roads converge on Parliament Square: St Margaret Street

Bridge (A302) to the east of the site. Westminster Bridge is alsopart of the TLRN. Victoria Embankment road (A3211) which is alsoclassified as part of the TLRN branches from Bridge Street before it
crosses the river as Westminster Bridge.

1.10.2.3 During the day, traffic moves quickly and flows tend to be constantly
high, with an average of up to 2000 vehicles per hour crossing
Parliament Square, passing close to the clock tower, St Margaret’s
Church and the north and west fronts of Westminster Abbey. Up to
740 vehicles per hour pass in front of Old Palace Yard and the Jewel
Tower as St Margaret Street approaches Parliament Square. The
junctions within the immediate environs of Parliament Square areparticularly busy.

1.10.2.4 The evenings, however, are quieter, as the business of Parliament andgeneral commerce slows down and tourists leave the site.

1.10.3 Public Transport
1.10.3.1 There are major public transport links within and close to the WHS.
Eleven bus routes serve the area from all directions. A dedicated bus
lane runs between Millbank and Parliament Square and there are anumber of bus stops in and around the WHS. Buses often experience
delays as they move through the area, owing to the generalcongestion and the number of tourist buses and coaches.
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s i t ePrincipal Transport Facilities

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio n

1.10.3.2 The closest and busiest underground station serving the WHS is
Westminster (Jubilee, Circle and District lines), at the north east
corner of Parliament Square, with a number of entrances includingo fWestminster Pier, Houses of Parliament, Victoria Embankment, Bridge
Street and Parliament Street. St James’s Park (Circle and District line)th eunderground station is a longer walk from the WHS and tends to be

1.10.3.3 Taxis have an important role in taking people to and from the area.

Smith Street and the waiting of taxis within the Sanctuary is allowedby the Dean and Chapter of Westminster.

on Bridge Street adjacent to the Palace of Westminster. Coach set

s i t e1.10.3.4 For larger groups of visitors there are official tour bus stops provided

h e r it a g e

Call systems for taxis operate in New and Old Palace Yards and Great

There is significant pedestrian congestion
along Bridge Street from Westminster
Underground, towards the Houses ofParliament and Westminster Abbey.

wo rldless well-used by those visiting the WHS.

down and pick up arrangements operate at Broad Sanctuary for theAbbey and coach street parking bays are provided in Tothill Street
adjacent the Abbey. Long stay coach parking is available further
away including bays on Victoria Embankment.

1.10.4 Cyclists
1.10.4.1 Despite heavy traffic and relatively high incidence of pedal cyclist
casualties there are growing numbers of cyclists in the area. Key
routes include Westminster Bridge, Victoria Embankment, Parliament
Square, St Margaret Street, Millbank, Whitehall, Great George Street,
Birdcage Walk, Lambeth Bridge, Westminster Bridge Road, Lambeth
Palace Road, the roundabouts on the south bank of the Thames
and, although presently there are a few specific facilities to improvecyclists safety apart from lanes on Lambeth Bridge and Westmister
Bridge, tracks, signalised crossings and advance stop areas on thesouth end of Westminster and Lambeth Bridges. There are signed
cycle routes on Great Smith Street, Storeys Gate, Tothill Street andMarsham Street. The immediate area of the Palace of Westminster
is presently an exclusion zone for on-street cycle parking. There are
public highway bicycle stands on Millbank near Lambeth Bridge.

1.10.5 Pedestrians
1.10.5.1 The WHS and its environs attract a large number of pedestrians, who
tend to congregate at specific locations, such as Carriage Gates, St.
Stephen’s Entrance and in summer period the Sovereign’s Entrance
83

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio no fth ewo rldh e r it a g e
s i t eIllustrations courtesy of Space Syntax (GLA / TfL) showing activity levels around the World Heritage Site.

84

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and West doors of Westminster Abbey and around the edges ofParliament Square. In general the footway widths vary from between

to Westminster Underground station from Victoria Embankment,

however there are no formal crossing points for pedestrians onto theon Victoria Street located in the vicinity of Great Smith Street, Old
Palace Yard adjacent to Black Rod’s Garden and Great College Street,as well as on Bridge Street.

s i t e1.10.5.3 A number of Zebra crossing points are also located on Millbank

h e r it a g e

central island of the square. There are further Pelican crossing points

wo rld

1.10.5.2 There are Pelican crossing points on all corners of Parliament Square,th eBridge Street and Parliament Street.

o f

2m to around 3.5m. A pedestrian subway provides pedestrian accessd e s c rip tio nwhich are entrances to the Houses of Parliament, at the Northand on all corners of the Millbank/Horseferry Road/Lambeth Bridge
roundabout. Further Zebra crossings are in the vicinity of Victoria
Street on Tothill Street.

1.11 Current ownership and management
arrangements
1.11.1.1 Ownership and responsibility for the site are shared among a numberof bodies in a complex set of long-standing relationships, whichhave an historical significance in their own right. The Palace ofWestminster remains a Royal Palace and the Lord Great Chamberlain
exercises control of certain parts on behalf of the Sovereign. Controlof the parts occupied by the Commons and the Lords rests with therespective Houses. Parliamentary outbuildings are owned by the
Corporate Officer of the House of Lords or the Corporate Officer ofthe House of Commons. Other parts of the WHS are the responsibilityof Westminster School, and English Heritage (in relation to the Jewel
Tower) and the Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St
Peter in Westminster.

1.11.1.2 Streets and open spaces are the responsibility of Westminster City
Council, Transport for London (adjacent routes on the Transportfor London Route Network TLRN), the Greater London Authority(Parliament Square Gardens) and the Royal Parks Agency (Victoria
Tower Gardens).

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1.11.1.3 Statutory duties regarding conservation of historic buildings,
planning, highways and transport reside with Westminster
City Council, Greater London Authority, English Heritage, theGovernment Office for London and the Department for Culture,o fMedia and Sport.

th e

1.11.1.4 Tourism and visitor management are concerns of Visit London as well

wo rldas the City Council and site owners.

1.11.1.5 These bodies together with ICOMOS UK and the London Borough ofh e r it a g e

Lambeth, the planning authority for the area directly across the river,are the key stakeholders, making up the Westminster World Heritage
Site Steering Group.

s i t e1.11.1.6 The fabric of the parliamentary estate is managed by the
Parliamentary Estates Directorate, which continues to maintain thebuildings in good condition through a rolling 10 year programme ofworks. As with other premises that have Crown Exemption underplanning and Listed Building legislation, works to the Palace are
exempt from the normal requirement to obtain planning approval
but the Directorate consults with Westminster City Council under
DOE Circular 18/84 arrangements. This system is now being phased
out. It is understood that Parliamentary Estates has never gone
against the expressed wishes of the Council. Furthermore, English
Heritage are formally consulted over all listed building matters fromminor repair to major works. A quarterly meeting is held between
Parliamentary Estates and an English Heritage team.

1.11.1.7 All works to the building are the responsibility of the Director of
Parliamentary Estates and his staff, who answer to Black Rod forHouse of Lords, to the Serjeant-at-Arms for the House of Commons,and to the Domestic Committees of both Houses. The final
authorities are the two Houses themselves.

1.11.1.8

Parliamentary Estates employs a Conservation Architect on apermanent basis, to advise and prepare works. A project design
is commissioned from external professional practices who are
selected in competition under the usual EU Procurement Directives
regulations. The Estates Directorate architect carries out cyclicalconditions survey and reports 7-yearly. There are annual inspectionsof health and safety issues and two yearly maintenance inspections.

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The Collegiate Church of Saint Peter in Westminster (‘Westminster
Abbey’) and its Precincts form part of what is known as a RoyalPeculiar. The Dean and Chapter as a Corporate Body are, by

the management of its buildings. As a Church, the Abbey hasof the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England as a resultof separate arrangements agreed in 1998 by the DCMS andof the Westminster Abbey Fabric Commission (‘WAFC’). Under
these arrangements learned societies and bodies, including bothWestminster City Council and English Heritage, in effect nominate

consultant Archaeologist are appointed in consultation with WAFC

s i t erepresentatives. In addition, the Surveyor of the Fabric and ah e r it a g e

approved by a Royal Warrant of 2000, it is subject to the control

wo rldAbbey, being a Royal Peculiar, is not subject to the control

th eecclesiastical exemption from secular controls. Whilst Westminstero fRoyal Charter, responsible only to the Monarch as Visitor ford e s c rip tio n

1.11.1.9

and attend its meetings. There is, as a result, external scrutiny ofworks, both formal and informal, to the fabric of the Church andits ancillary buildings, as in other World Heritage sites in England.
Westminster Abbey today receives no outside funding from theMonarch, the State or its associated agencies or the
Church of England.

1.11.1.10 The Abbey buildings are maintained in good repair under the careof a Surveyor to the Fabric (‘the Architect’). In association with
the Dean and Chapter and WAFC, the Architect is responsible
for all programmes of maintenance and improvement works. The
consent of WAFC is formally required for such works. The Abbey
has instigated a regime of inspections on a quinquennial basis andthe Architect has recently prepared such a report. In addition andin recent memory the Architect has prepared annual reports on thestate of the fabric, a process which continues.

1.11.1.11 The Chapter House and Pyx Chamber are Scheduled Ancient
Monuments and are managed on a day to day basis by the Dean
and Chapter under a Management Agreement. English Heritage
remains responsible for the maintenance of the fabric.

1.11.1.12 The Abbey Church and its buildings are Listed under the Planning(Listed Buildings & Conservation Areas) Act of 1990. The buildingsof Dean’s Yard and Little Dean’s Yard, historically closely associated87wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLANd e s c rip tio nwith them, are Listed Grade I or II and are either subject to thenormal planning regime or to WAFC.

1.11.1.13 The ownership, lease arrangements and maintenance responsibilityo ffor the buildings in Dean’s Yard and Little Dean’s Yard and certain

th eothers in Great College Street and Great Smith, are generally
divided between the Dean & Chapter, Westminster School andwo rldthe Church Commissioners on a complex basis, historically andstatutorily derived. Generally, and regardless of ownership, theh e r it a g elessee is responsible for the maintenance of the occupied building,in some instances in association with the Abbey Architect, forexample at College Hall, which is in the ownership of the Dean andChapter and used by Westminster School.

s i t e1.11.1.14 Westminster School occupies many of the buildings in Dean’s Yardand most of those in Little Dean’s Yard through a long standing
association that stretches back to the days of the Benedictine
Monastery in 1179. The Public Schools Act of 1868 madeprovision for separation from and the transfer of church property
to the Governing Body of the School in various ways. Generally,buildings are either held freehold, leased under various terms or are‘reverters’ (held in title but reverting to the Church Commissioners
if the School is removed from the 1868 boundaries of the City ofWestminster). Regardless of ownership the School is neverthelessfully responsible, sometimes in association with the Abbey Architect(e.g. over College Hall which is in the ownership of the Dean andChapter), for the maintenance of its buildings, which are apparently
very well managed through the offices of an appointed Inspecting
Architect who carries out an annual survey and prepares a forward
maintenance report. The School carries out most minor works using
its direct Works team.

1.11.1.15 The WHS buildings generally continue to be used for the purposes
for which they were designed. The current uses do not present
significant Conservation issues, although the changing 21st
century needs may generate new issues, including pressures of
tourism, possible changes in pupil numbers and the air, noise andvehicle related pollution which require continuing monitoring andmanagement within the existing Conservation regimes.

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Evaluation of the World
Heritage Site

2.1

Introduction

2.1.1

Inscription on the list of World Heritage Sites depends on meeting
one or more of the criteria set by UNESCO in the Operational
Guidelines for Implementation of the World Heritage Site
Convention. A site should also meet the test of authenticity.

2.1.2This section sets out a summary of the Outstanding Universal Value

evaluation of the world heritage site

2.

of the site which was recognised at the time of inscription in thelist of World Heritage Sites in 1987. This is followed by a detailed
analysis of those attributes, tangible and intangible, which are
unique and outstanding. The analysis is presented as a Statementof Significance and it represents the current understanding of theoutstanding universal value. Finally the ways in which Westminster
meets the test of authenticity are discussed.

2.2

The Outstanding Universal Value of theWestminster WHS and test of authenticity

2.2.1

The justification for the inscription for the Westminster WHS put
forward by the state party to the World Heritage Committee when
the site was nominated, illustrated the key attributes of the culturalproperty. The justification emphasised the architectural, historic andsymbolic significance of the site:•

The importance, as a group, of the three buildings of the Palace ofWestminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church.

•

The Palace as a supreme example of Gothic Revival and the work of
Sir Charles Barry and AW Pugin.

•

The surviving buildings of the medieval Palace of Westminster,
notably the internationally important Westminster Hall and theJewel Tower.

•

Westminster as the site of the development of parliamentary
ideals since the 13th century and as the pre-eminent symbol of thedemocratic institution.

•

Westminster Abbey as a major ecclesiastical monument of great
antiquity and beauty.
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evaluation of the world heritage site•

Westminster Abbey as the place of coronation and shrine of British
monarchs since the 11th century and the place where the nation’s
important statesmen, poets and other individuals are commemorated.

•

St Margaret’s Church as the church of the House of Commons.

2.2.2

Thus the following UNESCO criteria are met by the WHS:

Criterion (i) represents a masterpiece of human creative genius

Criterion (ii) exhibit an important interchange of human values,
over a span of time or within a cultural area of the world, ondevelopments in architecture or technology, monumental arts, townplanning or landscape design

Criterion (iv) be an outstanding example of a type of building or
architectural or technological ensemble or landscape which illustrates(a) significant stage(s) in human history

Criterion (vi) to be directly associated with events or living tradition
with ideas or with beliefs, with artistic and literary works ofoutstanding universal significance.

The way in which the Westminster WHS meets the criteria is set out
in the inscription as follows:

Westminster Abbey, St Margaret’s Church And
Westminster Palace Criterion
Criterion 1 – Westminster Abbey is a unique artistic construction
representing a striking sequence of the successive phases of English
Gothic art.

Criterion 2 – Other than its influence on English architecture during
the Middle Ages, the Abbey has played another leading role byinfluencing the work of Charles Barry and Augustus Welby Pugin at
Westminster Palace, in the “Gothic Revival” of the XIX century.

Criterion 4 – The Abbey, the Palace and St Margaret’s illustrate in a
concrete way the specificities of parliamentary monarchy over as longa period of time as nine centuries. Whether one looks at the royal90

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Hall, of the House of Lords or of the House of Commons, art iseverywhere present and harmonious, making a veritable museum of
the history of the United Kingdom.

2.3

Statement of significance2.3.1 Introduction
2.3.1.1

This Statement of Significance provides further detail of the current
understanding of the cultural qualities which give the site its
Outstanding Universal Values. It begins with the key overarchingsignificances, which are followed by detailed discussion of theevaluation of the world heritage site

tombs of the chapterhouse, the remarkable vastness of Westminster

significant elements.

2.3.2 Overarching significances
2.3.2.1

The Westminster World Heritage site is of international importance:•

As a place where sovereignty has been conferred andexercised continuously for nearly a thousand years
Almost from their founding by Edward the Confessor c 1050, theAbbey and Palace of Westminster have jointly provided the physicallocus of English, later British, sovereignty. At the coronation inWestminster Abbey, where it has taken place since the time ofWilliam 1, the authority of the monarch as sovereign is sacramentally
validated. At the Palace, sovereignty is exercised, originally by themonarch alone, now by the Queen in Parliament. The sacred andsecular aspects of sovereignty are given unique physical expression in
the conjunction of the two buildings.

•

In the development of parliamentary government and its
transmission around the world
Parliament came generally to meet at the Palace of Westminster
because it was the King’s principal London residence. When the King
moved out after a fire in the early 16th century, Parliament remained.
When the Palace again burned down in 1834, it was rebuilt as thehome of Parliament. It remains so today. The evolution of Parliament
was influenced by the physical configuration of the spaces at
Westminster in which its two houses met in their formative years.
The law courts developed at Westminster for the same reason. The
highest court was the House of Lords presided over by the monarch.

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evaluation of the world heritage site

The influence and dissemination of the British parliamentary system
across the world came about largely through the medium of empire.

•As the place from which a significant part of the world was
ruled in the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries.
In 1876 Queen Victoria was crowned Empress of India and at theheight of the British empire, almost one quarter of the land surfaceof the globe was governed from Westminster.

•For the outstanding architectural and artistic value of its
buildings and their contents
These are described in more detail in section 2.3.6

2.3.3 Symbolic and spiritual significance2.3.3.1

Westminster is a contemporary centre of power and high politics
and also one of the world’s great museum places and repositories ofcollective memory. It has immense, incalculable symbolic value for
the British people and the Commonwealth.

National Symbols
2.3.3.2

The Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey are among themost famous historical buildings in Britain. The Palace, in particular,
is one of the most universally recognised buildings in the world.

The Clock and Bell2.3.3.3

The clock tower, the clock, the bell, ‘Big Ben’ itself, and the sound of
the bell’s chimes are one of the pre-eminent symbols of Britain, visualand aural shorthand for the whole country.

The Home and Symbol of Parliamentary Democracy
2.3.3.4

Westminster is the home of the oldest continuously-existing
parliamentary government in the world. It has a universal significanceof representative democracy, and has at times been of special
significance as a symbol of defiance in the face of dictatorship.

The Spiritual Home of the English Crown
2.3.3.5

The Abbey is the pre-eminent royal church, place of almost every
coronation since 1066, shrine of Edward the Confessor, burial placeof kings, scene of royal weddings and funerals.

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2.3.3.6

From the 17th century, Westminster Abbey has become a place ofburial, or commemoration, for many of Britain’s greatest and mostdistinguished figures. This commemorative tradition continues,
and the Abbey is one of Britain’s, and the world’s, great places ofcommunal memory.

A Setting for Ceremonial
2.3.3.7

Westminster’s symbolic importance is regularly reinforced by grandoccasions, such as the annual State Opening of Parliament, andevaluation of the world heritage site

The Abbey as National Valhalla

the ceremonial joining of both Houses. Solemn events such as theCoronation of Her Majesty the Queen in 1952, or the funeral of Her
Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002, could hardly beconceived of elsewhere than at Westminster Hall and Abbey.

War Memorials in the Abbey
2.3.3.8

Westminster Abbey houses the grave of the Unknown Warrior, themost important of national memorials to the fallen of the First World
War. The Abbey also houses the Battle of Britain Memorial Chapel,
established in 1947.

2.3.4 Political significanceThe Setting for Contemporary Political Life
2.3.4.1

Westminster is the focus of national sovereignty and authority
in Britain. This naturally manifests itself, in day to day terms, inWestminster’s being the principal setting for national political life,
familiar from the television news, week after week.

The Life of Parliament
2.3.4.2

The two houses of Parliament, being the sovereign bodies of theUnited Kingdom, are unique, autonomous institutions. They have acomplex culture, governed by rules and traditions, presided over by
the Speaker of the House of Commons and the Lord Chancellor.

The Voice of the Public
2.3.4.3

Westminster, as the natural focus of our national political life, isthe natural destination of political demonstrations and marches.
The Stranger’s Galleries, and the frequency of lobbying activities,
represent the principle of public access to Parliament.
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The Mother of Parliaments
2.3.4.4

The ‘Westminster model’ of parliamentary government has beentransmitted around the world. Many countries have legislatures
which were inspired to some degree by Westminster, in spirit, in their
institutional form, in the details of their style and procedure.

2.3.5 Historic Significance2.3.5.1

Westminster is historically significant in so many ways, that in
attempting to define its significance one runs the risk of trying tosummarise the history of Britain.

The Heart of the State
2.3.5.2

From the 11th century to the present, Westminster has been
continuously the political centre of the English, latterly the British,
state. Westminster is to Britain what Capitol Hill is to the UnitedStates, the Kremlin is to Russia, Hradcany Hill is to the Czech
Republic, or the Ile de la Cite is to France.

The Birthplace of Parliament
2.3.5.3

Westminster has been the home of Parliament since the 13th
century: the institutions of government have evolved here over sevencenturies.

The Seat of Parliamentary Government
2.3.5.4

Westminster saw the evolution of Parliament through in the 17th,
18th and 19th centuries, and the invention of modern party politics.
The ‘Westminster model’ has proved one of the most influential
examples for the establishment of representative democratic
institutions.

The Birthplace of English Common Law
2.3.5.5

Westminster, more than anywhere else, is the birthplace of thesystem of English Common Law, and Trial by Jury, which have spreadaround the world.

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2.3.5.6

Westminster Abbey, rebuilt by Edward the Confessor from c.1050,
was the pre-eminent royal religious foundation of medieval England.
It has been the pre-eminent setting for royal ceremonial in Britain
ever since, having been the scene of every coronation since that ofWilliam I in 1066, and that of most royal funerals.

The Abbey as Royal Peculiar
2.3.5.7

The Abbey, was re-founded as a Collegiate Church of Dean andCanons by Elizabeth I in 1560, and thus one of the ‘Royal Peculiars’,evaluation of the world heritage site

The Abbey as Royal Foundation andCoronation Placeecclesiastical institutions which are independent of the Episcopal
hierarchy and owe direct allegiance to the Crown represent theunique relationship between the state and the Church of England.
The Dean and Canons stand as a reminder that Westminster’ssignificance is as much about the continuity of historic institutions
and faith as about buildings.

The Abbey as Royal Mausoleum
2.3.5.8

Westminster Abbey is the burial place of Edward the Confessor (d1065, and canonised in 1161), whose shrine became a place ofpilgrimage. From the reign of Henry III until that of George II, theAbbey as used as the principal royal mausoleum, and as such, is oneof the great royal tomb-houses of the world.

Westminster Hall as a setting for state occasions
2.3.5.9

Built by Richard II, the Hall has been the setting for historic events,
such as the trial of Charles I (1648), the trial of Warren Hastings andthe coronation banquet of George IV (1821). More recently, it has
been used for the lying-in state of monarchs prior to their funerals.
The Hall is also occasionally used for ceremonial, joint meetings ofboth Houses of Parliament.

The Order of the Bath2.3.5.10 The Order of the Bath, founded in 1399, is England’s second Orderof Chivalry and has been based in Henry VII’s Chapel, Westminster
since its re-establishment in 1725.

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2.3.6 Architectural significanceEdward the Confessor’s Church
2.3.6.1

The 11th century Abbey was one of the first great Romanesquebuilding in Britain: a substantial part of the eastern cloister range
remains, together with buried remains of the Confessor’s church.

The Abbey Church
2.3.6.2

The present church, built by Henry III, c. 1245 – 72, is one of thegreat gothic churches of Europe, and of special significance as themost direct instance of the influence of the High Gothic style ofnorthern France on English architecture. It is remarkable for its
elaboration: in terms of cost per bay, it may have been the mostexpensive church ever built in medieval Europe.

Royal Patronage
2.3.6.3

The rebuilding of Westminster Abbey from 1245 to 1272 was entirely
inspired and paid for by Henry III and together with Henry VII’s
rebuilding of the Lady Chapel between 1502-09, is reckoned to be
one of the greatest acts of individual patronage of the arts, whether
royal or otherwise, in British history, and one of the greatest in
European history.

Henry VII’s Chapel
2.3.6.4

King Henry VII’s Chapel, added to the east end of the Abbey in theplace of Henry III’s original Lady Chapel in 1503, to the designs ofRobert and William Vertue, is the culminating masterpiece of the
English Perpendicular Gothic.

The Chapter House
2.3.6.5

The Abbey has one of about thirty centrally planned, usuallyoctagonal or polygonal, chapter houses, built in the British Isles
between c.1120 and c. 1350. Although much of its appearance isdue to restoration by Sir George Gilbert Scott, 1866 – 74, it is also ofoutstanding significance for architectural history.

The Architectural Significance of theConventual Buildings
2.3.6.6

Westminster Abbey, almost uniquely amongst English monasteries,
was never abandoned. The buildings have national significance as a96

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such as Ashburnham House or the Westminster School Dormitory,
are of great significance in themselves.

The Architectural Significance of theMedieval Palace
2.3.6.7

Four major elements of the medieval Palace of still stand today,
namely Westminster Hall, St Stephen’s Cloister, the chapel of St Mary
Undercroft beneath St Stephen’s Hall, and the Jewel Tower. They are
significant remains of the most important royal palace of
medieval England.

evaluation of the world heritage site

well-preserved monastic ensemble on a grand scale. Later additions,

The Architectural Significance of Westminster Hall
2.3.6.8

Westminster Hall is the finest secular medieval interior in the British
Isles. Its lower walls date from the 11th century, but its hammer
beam roof is the result of remodelling for Richard II, c. 1384 – 1401.
The roof, the finest example of its type, represents an outstanding
engineering achievement, and is the finest surviving piece of
medieval carpentry in the world.

The Architectural Significance of the New Palaceof Westminster
2.3.6.9

This public building is a masterpiece of 19th century architecture,acclaimed for its aesthetics as well as its planning. The Palace’s
construction employed various new techniques and materials making
the New Palace a valuable case study in the history of construction.

The Decoration of the New Palace
2.3.6.10 The Palace is equally famous for its magnificent internal decoration
which is usually reckoned as one of the masterpieces of the 19th
century Gothic Revival. Many great designers contributed to its
decoration, and it was immensely influential on Victorian design, in
churches, public buildings and houses.

2.3.7 Works of art, fittings, furnishings and archives
The Royal Tombs in the Abbey
2.3.7.1

Westminster Abbey was established as a royal mausoleum by Henry
III, who intended that the shrine of the king-saint, Edward the97

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Confessor, should be surrounded by the monuments of the House of
Plantagenet. The majority of the Confessor’s shrine was dismantled
at the Reformation, but the other royal tombs survive. They are ofoutstanding historic and artistic importance, in particular those ofHenry III, Eleanor of Provence, Edward III and Richard II, which havelife-size bronze effigies.

The Non-Royal Tombs and Monuments in the Abbey
2.3.7.2

Westminster Abbey has the most important assemblage of tombs
and funerary monuments in Britain, running almost continuously
from the 13th to the 21st centuries. This is of outstanding importance,
for the artistic and historic importance of the monuments. It is also
the finest historic assemblage of sculpture in Britain, indicative of thedevelopment of the art form through eight centuries.

Medieval Architectural Sculpture in the Abbey
2.3.7.3

At its construction, Westminster Abbey was given probably therichest sculptural embellishment ever applied to a medieval buildingon this scale. Fine examples include the naturalistic leaf carving,
carved capitals, bosses, figures and corbels throughout the church.
The Chapter House also boasts exceptional figures.

The Cosmati Pavement
2.3.7.4

The great inlaid floor of the sanctuary is a great work of art, uniquein Britain and extremely rare in a European context. Its splendour andimperial origins, relates to the specific role of this place as the setting
for the coronation rite.

Medieval Mural Painting in the Abbey
2.3.7.5

The Abbey houses some of England’s best surviving medieval mural
paintings, notably the panel of St Faith in the chapel dedicated toher (probably late 13th century); the panels of St Thomas and St
Christopher in the South Transept (probably late 13th century); theLast Judgement and Apocalypse paintings in the Chapter House(1375 – 1404).

Medieval Panel Paintings in the Abbey
2.3.7.6

Of the Abbey’s paintings, the outstanding survival is the Westminster
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century panel paintings survive on a sedilia, and there is the great
portrait of Richard II enthroned, dating from 1396.

Medieval Fittings and Furnishings in the Abbey
2.3.7.7

A number of other medieval furnishings survived the Reformationand the Commonwealth, the most outstanding of which is theCoronation Chair, carved in wood and used in every coronation sincethat of Edward II in 1308.

Medieval Sculpture in Westminster Hall
2.3.7.8

evaluation of the world heritage site

art of the highest order from any part of Europe. Four more 13th

Westminster Hall houses an important sequence of medieval stone
statues, representing Kings of England commissioned by Richard II.

Mural Painting and Mosaics in the New Palace ofWestminster
2.3.7.9

The Prince Consort chaired a committee to consider revival of mural
painting, and the resulting works span a variety of subjects fromthe Old Testament to the British Empire. The mosaics in the Central
Lobby and St Stephan’s Hall are also noteworthy.

Furnishings of the New Palace of Westminster
2.3.7.10 Great antiquities of mid C19th furniture made for the palace areretained here, making a vital contribution to its interiors, as some of
the greatest set-pieces of 19th century decorative art.

The Abbey’s Muniment Room
2.3.7.11 The Abbey’s Muniment Room contains a great historic librarycollection, and an archive of medieval documents relating to theAbbey that date form the 13th century onwards, as well as a numberof documents referring to major historical figures.

The Parliamentary Collection of Works of Art
2.3.7.12 The core of this is a collection of paintings and sculptures of British
politicians of the 17th to 20th centuries. There are also numerous
paintings of other kinds, many of them representing special
commissions for the Palace. This tradition of patronage of the arts
continues to this day.

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The Parliamentary Record Office
2.3.7.13 This Record Office has archives and record of both Houses ofParliament form the 14th century to the present day, including copies
of every Act of Parliament from the early 17th century onwards andimportant archives on the history of the Palace itself.

2.3.8 Intellectual Significance2.3.8.1

With its long history of internationally important individuals, eventsand development of institutions, the WHS is an unparalleledknowledge resource for school children, students and life-longlearning. It contains the complementary resources of buildings,
archaeology, documents, artefacts and works of art.

2.3.9 Public significance2.3.9.1

The significance of Westminster is linked not just to physical artefacts
and the way we perceive them, but to the way the buildings andspaces are, through traditional, religious and ceremonial uses, a partof today’s living culture.

2.3.9.2

Westminster can offer substantial benefits to visitors throughenabling them to understand key national institutions and their rolein contemporary society, as well as the way those institutions have
evolved over the centuries. It also offers the opportunity to become
involved with those institutions through a wide range of activities
from church services to observing parliamentary debates

2.3.9.3

The WHS is one of the key tourist attractions for London and GreatBritain. It is a place of interest, inspiration and beauty. As the focus
of national government and events, it is important that people areable to come to see and experience at first hand the importantmonuments that they see on television and read about
in newspapers. The tourists not only take away their experiences,
share them with others and to some extent, continue the democratic
process, the revenue brought by their visits provides funds for theconservation of the buildings and monuments within the WHS,
providing for their preservation for future generations.

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Test of authenticity

2.4.1

In addition to meeting at least one of the criteria for inscription as a
World Heritage Site, the Operational Guidelines for Implementationof the World Heritage Site Convention state that a site must
demonstrate that it can:imeet the test of authenticity in design, material, workmanship, orsetting …
ii

have adequate legal and/or traditional protection andmanagement mechanisms to ensure the conservation of thenominated cultural properties or cultural landscapes.…

2.4.2

evaluation of the world heritage site

2.4

The first measure of the authenticity of Westminster WHS is the great
predominance of authentic fabric of all periods, particularly in the
medieval Westminster Abbey and conventual buildings, Westminster
Hall and the Jewel Tower. A second indication is the thick layer ofwell-preserved archaeological deposits lying in situ, both inside andoutside the boundary of the World Heritage Site.

2.4.3

Like many historic sites, particularly those which remain in constantuse over centuries, buildings within the Westminster WHS havebeen modified or have needed to be rebuilt at some stage in their
history. That continuity of use and evolution is a further measure of
the WHS’ authenticity. Moreover the great majority of modifications,
restorations or rebuilding have either used traditional (or long-lasting)materials or, as with the rebuilding of the Parliamentary buildings,
have continued the original role and use of the building andremained true to the pre-eminence of the site in the use of eminentarchitects and craftsmen.

2.4.4

The Westminster WHS is a working and living place which continues
to live its history, maintaining many of the traditions and practices
in both day to day work and ceremonial occasions, while meetingthe demands and opportunities of modern life. This continuity andchange is a further indication of the authenticity of the tangible andintangible values of the Westminster WHS.

2.5

Revising the Outstanding Universal Value

2.5.1

Section 5 of the Nomination Document for Westminster World
Heritage Site: Justification for inclusion, stressed the historic,architectural and symbolic values of the site and are summarised in101

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2.2 above. However the analysis of the significance set out above,
which includes intellectual and public significance, suggests that the
Outstanding Universal Value, as recognised by the World Heritage
Committee, should be revised at the appropriate time. This, alongwith any application to revise the boundaries of the site, will need to
be undertaken through DCMS as the state party and will be devisedin consultation with owners and stakeholders.

2.6

Statutory designations

2.6.1 Buildings
2.6.1.1

The Palace and Abbey buildings within the World Heritage Site are
Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II Listed Buildings.

2.6.2 Archaeology
2.6.2.2

The whole of the WHS falls within Westminster’s Area of Special
Archaeological Priority: Lundenwic and Thorney Island.

2.6.2.3

The Chapter House and Pyx Chamber and the Jewel Tower are
Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

2.6.3 Strategic Views
2.6.3.1

Policies to protect Strategic Views include corridor boundaries that
include all of the Palace of Westminster section of the WHS and allof St. Margaret’s Church and part of the Henry VII Chapel easternend of the Westminster Abbey section. The corridors are related toStrategic View 2 - from Primrose Hill to the Palace of Westminster
and Strategic View 4 - from Parliament Hill to the Palace ofWestminster.

2.6.4 Conservation Areas
2.6.4.1

The whole of the WHS falls within the Westminster Abbey andParliament Square Conservation Area (No. 20) and adjoins principal
parts of other areas: to the north the Whitehall Conservation Area
(No. 19) to the south the Smith Square Conservation Area (No. 21).

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To the east the whole of the river frontage opposite the WHS andbeyond the midpoint of the River Thames and Westminster andLambeth Bridges falls within Lambeth’s Conservation Areas.

2.6.5 Parks and Gardens
2.6.5.1

Parliament Square and Victoria Tower Gardens are each included in
the English Heritage Register of Parks and Gardens of Special
Historic Interest.

2.6.5.2

The whole of the WHS falls within Westminster’s Thames Policy Areaevaluation of the world heritage site

2.6.4.2

and the boundary of Westminster’s Thames Floodplain.

2.6.5.3

The Thames Path passes immediately adjoining the eastern section of
the WHS along public highway from Victoria Tower Gardens in theSouth to the Thames Embankment Walk in the north.

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The management issues of theWorld Heritage Site

3.1

Current pressures on the site’s
Outstanding Universal Valueand significance3.1.1 Introduction
3.1.1.1

There are a number of management issues which need to beaddressed if the value for which the site was inscribed is to besafeguarded for future generations. It is important to understandthe ways in which the issues closely interrelate and how they may
pose threats, both to the Outstanding Universal Value and theappreciation of the value.

•

the management issues of the world heritage site

3.

The maintenance of the architectural significance depends on
good conservation practice but a poor visitor experience, which isdominated by noisy traffic, congested footpaths and inadequate
orientation, will mean that the architectural significance cannot beappreciated to the full and tourism revenue, which helps to fundconservation works, may fall.

•

The appreciation of the symbolic and iconographic importance,
which depends so much on the setting of the site, the views of
key buildings and the dignity of the area, would be undermined bybuilding development which did not respect these qualities in
the WHS.

•The political significance, which depends on the many intangible
attributes, including the very long continuity of uses and publicaccess to the Strangers’ Galleries, would be undermined if security
issues forced the closure of buildings or the stopping of
public access.

•

The historic significance, which depends on the uses of the buildings
and their very long continuity, will be undermined if there was tobe a radical change in the uses or key activities were to cease. The
historic significance also depends on being well understood andcommunicated to as wide an audience as possible. This will never be105wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
the management issues of the world heritage site

fully realised if the history and culture of the site is not presented andinterpreted to a world class standard.

3.1.1.2 Thus the issues, which now or in the future, might undermine
the outstanding value of Westminster can be grouped under thefollowing headings:•

Pressures on the architectural significance: the care and protection of
the historic fabric•Pressures on the significance of the symbolic fabric: the setting and
views

•

Pressures on the historic significance: the activities and uses•

Pressures on the tourism value•

Pressures on the educational value•

Traffic•

Security

3.1.2 Pressures on the architectural significance: thecare and protection of the historic fabric
3.1.2.1

The Westminster WHS is a large complex assemblage of buildings
and spaces, serving a multitude of purposes. Inevitably it is subject
to frequent and ongoing programmes of maintenance, repairs andconservation. Without proper coordination, these works, together
with occasional new developments, can combine to cause cumulative
impacts on the architectural significance of the site. It is important toensure that careful consideration is given to the potential impact of
all works, however small, on the Outstanding Universal Value ofthe site.

3.1.2.2

Although the removal of any buildings in the WHS without due
consideration is highly unlikely, the intrusion of inappropriate
structures may lead to a gradual erosion of the architectural qualityof the area. The temporary kiosk on Abingdon Street Gardens
for ticket sales during summer access to the Palace is a relatively
substantial addition. The design is of high quality and appropriate
to the context. However it may be argued that other trading kiosks
around the WHS, in their design and siting, do not enhance thesetting or dignity of the WHS. The striped awnings on the riverside

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once temporary features, now considered of significant impact andtheir design is currently under review.

3.1.2.3

A lack of maintenance or poor maintenance and repair techniques
could lead to gradual degradation of the fabric and architecturalquality. However, the standard of restoration and improvement works
for the Palace of Westminster is generally considered exemplary
in compliance with Government provisions for Conservation. The
Abbey, Chapter House/Pyx Chamber, Westminster School and Jewel
Tower buildings suffer considerably more wear and tear from visitors.

3.1.2.4

The pressures of increasing tourist numbers on the sensitive fabricof the buildings present a conservation problem that must be
considered as part of the normal conservation and maintenancethe management issues of the world heritage siteterrace of the Palace of Westminster are a large scale example ofarrangements. Tourist visitors impose wear and tear on the fabric,by direct physical contact, by raising the humidity and temperaturein enclosed spaces and by incidental damage and more rarely, by
casual vandalism or theft of items. Wear and tear is of particularconcern in relation to sensitive floor finishes, such as soft pavingstone and memorials and all painted surfaces in smaller spaces.
Externally, paving and grass can also suffer serious erosion. Examplesof where visitor numbers exceed path capacities and in some cases,
due to poor alignments for desire lines, can be seen throughout thearea. The Abbey has a particular challenge in that it is dependent on
tourist numbers for its income and therefore needs to both increase
numbers as far as possible but also control their impact.

3.1.2.5

The effects of environmental noise and air pollution on the buildings
are complex and constantly changing. The pollution of the late 19th
to 20th century, caused primarily by coal smoke has been replacedin part by other industrial effluents and particularly by traffic fumes
as well as traffic noise and vibration. There is continuing research
into the effects of pollutants on brick and stone buildings but atpresent the only effective remedies are the traditional ones of routine
maintenance of surfaces and joints, drips and flashings. There are noeffective chemical shields that can be applied to moderate the effects
of chemical pollution and stonework or brickwork that has become
eroded must be repaired or replaced when it no longer performs

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either as drip moulding or as an effective component of the structural
whole. Cleaning to remove surface grime is an undertaking that must
be very carefully considered as all the currently available treatments
inflict some damage on the surfaces of stone and brick.

3.1.2.6

Low frequency heavy vehicle vibration can cause damage to delicate
surface fabric and also structural components of historic structures.
Continuing work and research is necessary to establish the effects ofnoise vibration on the fabric of the buildings in the area.

3.1.3 Pressures on the significance of the symbolic
fabric: the setting and views
3.1.3.1

Through television, film, radio broadcasts of the chimes of Big
Ben and newspaper reports, the WHS is presented every day to aworldwide audience. Some 150 journalists are accredited to theparliamentary press gallery and many others work from the Millbank
media centre. The setting and iconic views of the WHS are a regular
backdrop for reports to camera and for press photography. Thissetting and symbolism could be damaged by inappropriate
nearby intrusions.

3.1.3.2

There is currently no buffer zone, as defined in the operationalguidelines, which would help to sustain the special qualities ofthe setting of the WHS. Without appropriate consideration of thesensitivities of the WHS and its setting, development beyond the
WHS boundary of a large scale may pose risks to this key elementof the Outstanding Universal Value. Any changes to the style orbackdrop of the WHS from many angles, must be carefully balanced
against the need to preserve the iconic value of the site.

3.1.3.4

There has been a gradual loss of appreciation of the architectureand spaces resulting from the steadily increasing vehicle traffic, andin the changes that are necessitated in the streetscape without atargeted planning strategy. The impact of the diagonal routes ofAbingdon Street/St Margaret’s Street between the Abbey and the
Palace, Parliament Square and Victoria Street across Broad Sanctuary
between the Abbey and the QE II Centre are examples of this issue.

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traffic management and urban design proposals contained in theWorld Squares for all Masterplan.

3.1.3.5

Street furniture, security and lighting equipment, traffic signals,
guardrail, and signage directly related to the architecture and spaces
around the WHS combine to give the effect of poorly designed
clutter. In the worst examples the effect is to limit or block local viewsof importance to the buildings and monuments. There is a need foran area-wide approach to reducing street clutter.

3.1.3.6

One significant aspect of a WHS’s character that is often overlookedis the ambient noise. The quality and level of noise surrounding
and penetrating the buildings and open spaces of Westminster isdifferent to that experienced by the area’s residents and workers in

the management issues of the world heritage site

Changes to current landscape setting may result from the proposed

the past, and therefore has an unnoticed but significant effect on theexperience of the WHS. It is the quality of noise rather than the levelthat is of concern. The City of London has been described in many
medieval documents as an astonishingly noisy place, and it is likelythat Westminster was little different. In the 15th century Thomas
Dekker described the noise of London as an incessant din: “…carts
and coaches make such a thundering, …in the open streetes is suchwalking, such talking, such running, such riding, such clapping tooof windows, such rapping at chamber doors, such crying out for
drink. The cries of vendors, the wagons, dogs, cattle, horses, pigs,
sheep and chickens, the sound of running water in the channels andstreams but above all the church bells, rung constantly and indeed incompetition between churches to see which could make itself heard
furthest away. The effect was a constant reverberating roar in the
narrow streets…”

3.1.3.7

This multifaceted human din has now been obliterated by theconstant, and relatively monotone, mechanical roar of traffic, engines
and tyre noise on the tarmac roads. According to studies carried out
in the past by the British Medical Association, the noise of the city
now has an impersonal quality that is both wearying
and dehumanising. Instead of a sign of vitality, it can be adeadening monotony.

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3.1.4 Pressures on the historic significance: theactivities and uses
3.1.4.1

The WHS is a place of both continuity and change. Continuity, inthe status and pre-eminence as the seat of national sovereignty,
political debate, worship and celebration. Change, in the constantevolution of the organisations, and systems embodied in thebuildings. Fundamental to this tradition and evolution is the characterof activities within the site. It is this very evolution that is the sourceof the symbolic and historic significance of Westminster. Yet somechanges, where they affect the activities, may undermine theoutstanding values of the heritage of the WHS. For example, thecurrent reforms of the House of Lords and the judicial system may
end some of the functions of the Palace of Westminster which havedeveloped there, existed since the medieval period and influenced thedevelopment of systems of government and the law across the world.

3.1.4.2

Conversely, the practicalities of continuing some activities within
the site may also lead to detrimental changes. For example, theincreasing pressure on space within the Palace of Westminster may
in the future lead to the establishment of peripheral sites, perhaps
undermining the coherence and unity of the Parliamentary buildings.

3.1.4.3

Other changes are less likely but not impossible. For example,
disestablishment of the Church of England might lead to theloosening of the historic ties between the monarchy and Westminsterand diminution of the Abbey’s function and status as the site ofnational ceremony. Potential external sources of political change, suchas an increase in the role of the European Parliament might lessenWestminster’s continuing pre-eminent status as a symbolof democracy.
3.1.4.4

The control of these real and potential changes must necessarily lie
outside the remit of this Management Plan. However it is importantto understand and draw attention to the ways in which they may
threaten to the historic and symbolic significance of Westminster.

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3.1.5.5

Visitors and tourists are one of the key user groups of the WHS, withat least 1.4 million visits being made each year to the area. Moreover,
the revenue generated from visitors and tourists makes an important
contribution towards sustaining the Abbey’s mission, as well as
property maintenance costs across the WHS.

3.1.5.6

However, it should be noted that the working and student
population of the WHS and its environs, estimated at between
8,000 and 9,000, will make over 2 million trips each year into the
WHS, a figure some 40% higher than the level of activity generated
in the four main WHS buildings by tourists. It is thus importantthat pressures associated with tourism activity around the WHS aremanaged as effectively as possible, in order to ensure a sustainable,
mixed-use economy within the area.

3.1.5.7

the management issues of the world heritage site

3.1.5 Pressures on the tourism value

Certainly the highly seasonal nature of tourism visits to the area,
and the concentration of visitor activity at certain key points within
the World Heritage Site, leads to a number of localised pressures.
The footpaths around the outside of Parliament Square, and thepavements outside the Palace and Abbey, are often congested andat pinch points, visitors are often in conflict with traffic. Access to
the green on Parliament Square, a location which is so important forappreciating the majesty of the site and for taking photographs, ismade dangerous by the lack of crossings.

3.1.5.8

Parts of the WHS can become extremely busy and crowded andthere is evidence from the visitor data of particular daily and seasonal
peaks. Long queues can be found at some visitor ‘honeypots’ in the
WHS. This is detrimental to both the historic fabric and enjoymentof the visitor experience. There is also a lack of proper refreshment
places within and close to the WHS, a situation partly resolved by
the presence of concession vans, although these can undermine thedignity of the area and generate litter which detracts from thesite’s appeal.

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3.1.5.9

Thinking in the longer term, the predicted growth in internationaland domestic tourism to London over the next 20 years is likely
to generate an increase in visitors to Westminster, which, without
appropriate management, may put at risk the very historic fabric that
visitors have come to see.

3.1.5.10 At the same time, short-term declines in tourism activity due to global
events such as heatlth scares, Foot and Mouth and terrorist acts aswell as local events, such as demonstrations in Parliament Square,
may decrease income at Abbey and other paid-entry sites, potentiallyreducing the funds available to spend on conservationand protection.

3.1.5.11 Historic sites often pose particular challenges for those with mobility
difficulties, such as wheelchair users and those with young children.
Around the WHS there are numerous changes in level, unevensurfaces, narrow pedestrian areas, narrow doorways and flightsof steps.

3.1.6 Pressures on the educational value
3.1.6.1

It should be possible for visitors to gain a broad overview of the
WHS and its values, with a focussed insight into the historic andcontemporary functions and significance of individual buildings
within their wider context. Currently, it is not obvious to visitors (orindeed workers and residents) that Westminster is inscribed as a
World Heritage Site. Much more could be done to raise awareness ofthe site’s status. However, at present there is no single overall guideto the World Heritage Site and, apart from a display within the Jewel
Tower, which presents a brief history of Thorney Island, the WHS is
not presented as a unified destination of outstanding significance.

3.1.6.2

The involvement of a number of different agencies in managing the
key buildings has, to date, worked against the provision of a unified
approach to access, presentation and interpretation across thesite. This makes it more difficult to access, during just one visit, the112

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language interpretive materials makes it difficult for some overseas
visitors to access information on aspects of the culture and history of
the WHS.

3.1.7 Traffic
3.1.7.1

Traffic dominates the whole experience of the visiting the WHS quite
unpleasantly, particularly around Parliament Square, Broad Sanctuary
and on St Margaret Street, undermining the visitor experience, visualappeal and dignity of the site. At busy times, the fast vehicle speeds
and weaving traffic is dangerous for pedestrians, particularly where
footpaths are too narrow for congregating visitors.

3.1.7.2

The traffic congestion can cause accidents, air and noise pollution, all

Current external security measuresaround the Palace of Westminster

the management issues of the world heritage site

information needed fully to understand the scale and rich complexity

unpleasant for visitors and other users and potentially dangerous anddamaging to the historic fabric.

3.1.8 Security
3.1.8.1

The symbolic and international political significance of Westminster
means that, as a result of international events, there are increasing
security concerns for the historic fabric, as well as workers, visitors
and residents. However, the measures needed to increase andmaintain security, such as the installation of new CCTV cameras andassociated equipment and the temporary concrete road blocks, canalso undermine the visual appearance of the site.

3.1.8.2

The two Houses of Parliament are considering the needs for physicalsecurity measures, both temporary and permanent. These havealready included temporary concrete barriers, temporary security
search huts and additional closed circuit television cameras. A
permanent Visitor Reception and Security Building is being planned.

3.1.8.3

Large numbers of visitors can sometimes lead to antisocial behaviour,pick-pocketing, random actions of wilful damage and theft, bothminor and major, to fabric, collections and public safety.

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A Vision for the World
Heritage Site

4.1.1 Introduction
4.1.1.1

The future management of the WHS should not simply be guided by
the pressures and threats. A vision needs to be set, which establishes
the aspirations for how the site should be, addressing not only how
the value will be safeguarded but also enhanced and experienced.
In due course the success of this Management Plan, the policies

a vision for the world heritage site

4.

and projects, can be assessed against the extent to which the vision
below has been realised.

4.1.1.2

The World Heritage Site of Westminster Palace and Westminster
Abbey, including St Margaret’s Church, is of outstandingarchitectural, symbolic and historic significance. The site is the seat
and focus of national sovereignty. Although they have evolved over
up to a thousand years, many of the magnificent churches andhalls, and the modest rooms and offices, continue in the use forwhich they were originally built. They embody the close connection
between Church and State, which characterised the politicaldevelopment of the British Isles. The site is the heart of the capitalof the United Kingdom and lies within a modern busy World City.
Yet there are places of tranquillity and contemplation, as well as
for political debate and lobbying. It is a national focus for worship,
ceremony and democracy, as well as reflecting our relationship withthe rest of the world.

The vision for the future of the Westminster World Heritage Site is for it to be:•

A living, sustainable place, where the Outstanding Universal Value and architectural, symbolic, historic andother significances are safeguarded•

Set within a public realm that is attractive and sensitive to the Outstanding Universal Value and significancesof the site•

A place where people can come to work, learn, worship and visit with comfort, safety and enjoyment•

A place where people of all nationalities and abilities can be inspired by its unique character and beauty, andits rich living history.

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Objectives for theManagement Plan

5.1.1 Introduction
5.1.1.1

The objectives set out below reflect the concerns and aspirationsof all those organisations represented on the Steering Group
regarding the issues raised in the evaluation of the management
issues of the site. The objectives flow from: an understanding ofthe ‘living’ and diverse nature of the component parts of the site asplaces of work, prayer, education and residence; from the pressures

objectives for the management plan5.

on the Outstanding Universal Value of the site; understanding its
opportunities, and from the vision for its future.

5.1.1.2

The objectives begin with the overall objective of the Management
Plan. This is followed by objectives raised by the management issues
and from the vision for the future which is to the benefit of all those
who visit, worship, work, learn and reside within the site. Some
objectives, for example those which address the need to safeguard
the views of the site, reflect the need for further understanding of
the WHS before firm management proposals can be developed.

5.1.2 The objectives
The overall objective
Objective 1
To safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value for which theWestminster WHS was inscribed which are embodied in thebuildings, spaces, monuments, artefacts and archaeologicaldeposits within the site, the setting and views of and from it,
its iconic status and the activities which take place within the
WHS. The Management Plan should seek to guide, influence
and advise those who are managing the organisations
involved in the site.

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objectives for the management plan

The adoption and implementation of theManagement Plan: Achieving appropriate
coordination across the WHS
5.1.2.1

Three principal organisations – Parliament, Westminster Abbey
and Westminster School - occupy the WHS. While their histories
are intertwined, each is independent in its mission, function,
administration and requirements. There are also a number of otherbodies, such as the GLA, Westminster City Council and English
Heritage, that also have an interest in parts of the site. There are
a number of issues on the WHS, such as maintaining the working
autonomy of the individual institutions, conservation, visitor
management and traffic, where the interests of the organisations
potentially complement each other or clash.

5.1.2.2

There is a desire for a more coordinated mechanism to those issuesof common interest. The Management Plan provides the approach toachieve this.

Objective 2
To have an effective, accurate and workable Management
Plan which will be capable of support by all the organisations
represented on the initial Steering Group.

Objective 3
To establish a Liaison Steering Group, under the initialchairmanship of Westminster City Council, to review progressof the implementation of the Management Plan, to share
information and discuss issues affecting the World Heritage
Site, to review progress of the implementation of theManagement Plan, and to review the Management Plan at
appropriate intervals to be agreed.

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To consider the most effective means of coordinating theimplementation of the Management Plan and associatedprojects and initiatives.

‘A living, sustainable place, where the Outstanding Universal
Value and architectural, symbolic, historic and othersignificances are safeguarded’

Achieving a coherent World Heritage Site within aboundary that reflects its Outstanding Universal Value
5.1.2.3

objectives for the management plan

Objective 4

The existing WHS is contained in two separately bounded areas, oneither side of a major traffic route, St Margaret Street/Abingdon Street.
This route follows the historic route through the Palace of Westminster,albeit slightly re-aligned for the construction of the New Palacebuildings. The road overlies archaeological deposits related to the early
periods of the Palace and Abbey.

5.1.2.4

In addition, key parts of the Palace of Westminster, notably Portcullis
House, are currently excluded from the WHS. Portcullis House is aworking part of the modern parliamentary complex, housing theoffices of MPs and committee rooms etc. In keeping with the rest of
the Palace, the building was designed by internationally renowned
architects and was built to last for several centuries. Both Abingdon St
and Portcullis House therefore share the Outstanding Universal Value ofthe WHS.

5.1.2.5

Other key spaces, which, in addition to their intrinsic significance ashistoric places, share the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS, arealso excluded from the current WHS boundary. They are Victoria Tower
Gardens, Parliament Square, Abingdon Street Gardens and part of Old
Palace Yard.

Objective 5
To seek the immediate integration of St Margaret Street,
Abingdon Street, Old Palace Yard and Parliament Square,
including Cannon Green within the boundary of the WHS inorder to ensure their protection and to create a single
unified site.
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objectives for the management plan
Proposed revised Westminster World Heritage Site Boundary linking both parts of the designated area120

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In the medium term, to consider an enlargement of the WHS
in order to include, and therefore protect, those buildings andspaces associated with the Palace of Westminster, Westminster
Abbey including St Margaret’s Church, which share theOutstanding Universal Value. Such elements would include
buildings spaces and archaeology of particular importance.

Safeguarding the Outstanding Universal Value ofthe WHS from beyond its boundary
5.1.2.6

objectives for the management plan

Objective 6

The appearance of the site, particularly from outside the WHS
boundaries, is a key contribution to the symbolic significance of the
WHS and its iconic status. The fine views, from many directions, andfrom within the site as well as from outside, also enable appreciationof its architectural significance. Moreover, the buildings, streets andspaces which surround the Palace of Westminster, Westminster
Abbey and Westminster School form the historic and urban context,of which the WHS is an integral part. It is important that the WHS
is not seen in isolation from this context, since it has shared in thehistory and development of this part of London.

5.1.2.7

Many World Heritage Sites are surrounded by a designated buffer
zone. These zones reflect the sensitivity of the areas within them,both in terms of the importance of buildings and spaces whichis increased by their proximity to the WHS and in terms of theneed for careful management of change in order to ensure that
the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS are not diminishedby development or activities which take place close by. The
establishment of buffer zones allow development and otherproposals to be assessed with regard to their potential impact on the
WHS, including the setting and views of it.

5.1.2.8

There is currently no buffer zone (Defined Local Setting) for theWestminster WHS. The identification of a suitable zone is achallenge, not least because so much of the surrounding area and121

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objectives for the management plan

indeed much of London is itself historically important. Moreover as
a dynamic world city, it is inevitable that London and its skylines andpanoramas will change in response to social and economic needs.
However, it is important that the Outstanding Universal Value of theWestminster WHS is protected from beyond its boundaries. Its iconic
status, which derives from its distinctive appearance, needs particularattention to ensure that it is safeguarded.

5.1.2.9

Both the Westminster City Council’s Unitary Development Plan andthe London Plan address World Heritage Sites, views and skylines,
as well as the conservation of the historic environment. Policy 4B.13
of the London Plan protects World Heritage Sites and states thatsettings should be safeguarded and enhanced, where appropriate.
There is a list of strategically important London Views within aframework of London panoramas, river prospects, townscapeviews and linear views. Policy 4B.15 states that this list will be kept
under review and this has been incorporated into the London View
Management Framework SPD. Policy 4B.8 includes a provision for
London Boroughs to identify areas of specific character which may
be sensitive to tall buildings. It may be appropriate for WCC to
identify the WHS and a designated zone around it, as such an area ofspecific character.

5.1.2.10 It is clear that further study needs to be undertaken not only tounderstand the views and setting of the WHS but also to determine
how best to establish a buffer zone (Defined Local Setting) which willprotect the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS from beyond
its boundary.

Objective 7
To assess the feasibility of establishing a Buffer Zone, (Defined
Local Setting) or similar designated area, within the context
of the policies contained in the London Plan, the Westminster
City Council Unitary Development Plan, and the Unitary
Development Plans or Local Development Frameworks of theother Local Planning Authorities affected, as well as national
policies. The establishment of the Buffer Zone (Defined
Local Setting) could be preceded by an assessment of the122

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the immediate setting of the WHS, the variety of scales ofadjoining buildings, the River Thames corridor and approaches
from all sides, and views especially to and from south of
the river. Such studies may assist in informing reactions todevelopment proposals.

Objective 8
To undertake a dynamic visual impact study of wider views,
within, into and out of Westminster World Heritage Site forobjectives for the management plan

key local views affecting the WHS and the characteristics ofthe purpose of assessing the impact of development proposals(including tall buildings) on the Outstanding Universal Valueof the WHS.

Objective 9
To safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS,
any proposed developments which might affect this value,
whether by impact on its setting or views, may be commented
on by the Westminster Liaison Steering Group.

Conserving the historic fabric and thearchaeological resource
5.1.2.11 The conservation of the historic fabric is well managed at present,by the relevant authorities. While most developments are unlikely
to take place without appropriate formal above and below groundarchaeological assessment and fieldwork, minor groundworks, forexample, the installation or repair of utilities, street furniture orassociated with traffic management may well encounter fragilearchaeological resources. Prior consultation with the relevant
authorities is necessary to ensure that damage to deposits is avoided
or reduced as much as possible. If damage to archaeological remains
cannot be avoided, the remains will need to be fully investigated andrecorded by a professional archaeologist with proper provision madefor analysis, publication and curation of the results.

5.12.12Similarly, while visitors and tourists are welcomed to the WHS, attimes this visitor pressure can lead to general wear and tear of thehistoric fabric.

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objectives for the management plan

Objective 10
To consider the impact of visitors on the physical key aspectsof the site, taking account of established best practice.

Objective 11
To encourage the enhancement of the existing conservation,
maintenance and repair regimes for the buildings,
monuments, artefacts and archaeological deposits within the
WHS. Changes to the regime may be assessed against theobjectives of the WHS Management Plan.

Maintaining the architectural significanceof the WHS
5.1.2.13 The buildings of the WHS are individual examples of outstanding
design and they exemplify the best of the period in which they wereconceived and created. The buildings also comprise a magnificent
ensemble, formed by the unique variety of scale, styles and materials
but unified by the close interrelationship of the Palace and Abbey.

5.1.2.14 The sometimes urgent need for security measures can lead to
unplanned installation of features which can be detrimental to thefabric and appearance of the buildings. Likewise the accumulationof small additions such as signs or street furniture can over time be
detrimental to the visual quality of the building or the surrounding
spaces.

Objective 12
To consider the feasibility of developing a coordinatedresponse to temporary changes or additions which impact
unfavourably on the overall visual qualities of the site or
its environs.

Objective 13
To continue the practice, through those organisations
represented on the Liaison Steering Group, of achieving,wherever possible the highest standards of architecture,design and craftsmanship and the use of high quality
materials and finishes, when considering proposals for new124

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and significant visible changes to interiors of unlistedbuildings, in order to ensure that they enhance and notdiminish the architectural ensemble of the WHS.

Objective 14
To seek to ensure that the relevant authorities and agencies
will sustain the Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS
and adhere to the objectives of the WHS Management
Plan, and ensure that these are seen as important material

objectives for the management planbuildings, adaptations of the exteriors of existing buidings

considerations in the determination of planning applications
and other proposals.

Sustaining and complementing the existing uses
5.1.2.15 The current life and use of the buildings and spaces maintains thecontinuity and thus the authenticity of the heritage. These intangible
significances are as essential to the Westminster WHS as the historicfabric. The Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS includes thevery long continuity of the working history of the site, as the seat ofBritish Parliament, scene of national ceremony, worship and learningat the Abbey and its precincts and the host of formal public eventsand gatherings.

Objective 15
To maintain wherever possible and encourage the continuingenhancement where practicable, the present use and activities
within the buildings and spaces of the WHS, which relate to
the Outstanding Universal Value of the site. Wherever possibleor practicable, new activities and uses should be compatible
with the individual institutions represented in the site and theexisting significance and use characteristics of the WHS.

Preparing for risk
5.1.2.16 Both the Abbey and the Palace of Westminster address risk
preparedness as part of the day to day management of the buildings
within the WHS. This activity includes staff training on risks andsecurity, the preparation of risk registers, emergency planning andother mitigation measures.

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objectives for the management plan

Objective 16
To ensure that the current arrangements for emergency
planning and emergency preparedness within the WHS
continue, addressing, where appropriate, the risks to thesignificances and values embodied in the fabric of the WHS.

‘To be set within a pubic realm that is attractive andsensitive to the Outstanding Universal Value andsignificance of the site’.

Improving the public realm within and aroundthe site
5.1.2.17 The existing public realm is characterised by a variety of paving,street furniture, soft landscape and lighting treatments and security
features, which have developed in a piecemeal fashion and are ofvariable design quality, specification and maintenance. The busy
traffic dominates much of area and there are a number of kiosks
and stalls, catering particularly for visitors, scattered around the site,which, arguably, detract from the architectural significance of the
WHS and its dignity.

5.1.2.18 The public spaces in and around the WHS are important inthemselves. In addition to being the places from which the greatbuildings can be appreciated and photographed, they are and havebeen over the centuries, the site of organised and spontaneous
public gatherings related to the functions of Westminster Palace
and the Abbey. Their management also is addressed in a number ofpolicies related to the public spaces of London.

5.1.2.19 It is important to ensure that the public realm context of the WHS
exemplifies the Outstanding Universal Value and dignity of the WHS.

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To consider the appropriateness of establishing a public realm
strategy for the landscape and streetscapes of the site which
would address·

Maintenance, renewal and replacement of trees·

Maintenance and desirable improvement ofopen spaces·

Desirable improvement to hard landscaping·

Environmental aspects of green spaces·

Physical and visual clutter·

Street furniture and signs

objectives for the management plan

Objective 17

Objective 18
To seek to ensure that the WHS Liaison Steering Group
scrutinises proposals for landscape, transport, traffic
management, street furnishing or significant infrastructure
projects, within or close to the WHS, in order to encouragesuch proposals to take into account the significances and valueof the WHS and addresses and realises the objectives of theWorld Heritage Site Management Plan.

Objective 19
To comment on any design guides utilising existing policies
as appropriate and to suggest materials and forms to be usedwithin the WHS, which would be sensitive to the
Outstanding Universal Value.

Objective 20
To consider the feasibility of assessing the overall security
needs of the site, in so far as they impact on visible spaces
and buildings, in order to identify ways, where practicable, of
meeting security needs in the short and longer term, which
are sensitive to the Outstanding Universal Value of the site.

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objectives for the management plan

Objective 21
To seek to ensure that future reviews of the City ofWestminster Unitary Development Plan or its replacement
and the London Plan and policy documents prepared by otherorganisations with an interest in the World Heritage Site, takeaccount of the significance and values of the WHS and theobjectives in the WHS Management Plan.

‘To be a place where people can come to work,
learn, worship and visit in comfort and safety’

Balancing traffic and pedestrian access and safety
5.1.2.20 The ‘doorstep’ to the WHS is Parliament Square, a major intersectionof east-west and north-south routes through central London, andthe head of an important crossing of the River Thames. The area isa busy hub of cars, buses, taxis, delivery vehicles and undergroundtrains, which pass through, and occasionally park, within the World
Heritage Site. Whilst much of this movement brings people to the
WHS, the traffic also vies for space and attention: with visitors;
with those who work, learn and worship within the WHS; and withthe historic building and spaces. The conflict, between traffic andpedestrians in particular, within the WHS needs to be reduced.

Objective 22
To comment on proposals for landscape, transport, traffic
management, street furnishing or significant infrastructure
projects within or close to the WHS in order to encourage suchproposals to take into account the significance of the WHS andaddress and realise the objectives of the World Heritage Site
Management Plan including the development of wider traffic
management strategies for the site, balancing the needs ofthe WHS with the needs of residents, workers and visitors.

Objective 23
To comment on any studies undertaken to assess thefeasibility of establishing an overall pedestrian movement
strategy for the whole site including; the provision of safe
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transport nodes, to reduce the dominance of motor traffic
in Parliament Square, Abingdon Street, Old Palace Yard, St
Margaret Street and possibly Bridge Street, Parliament Street
and Broad Sanctuary, as well as to encourage visitor dispersal
away from pressure points.

Improving Access for All
5.1.2.21 All historic sites and buildings provide particular challenges for
ensuring that people of all abilities can access and enjoy them. The

objectives for the management plan

walking routes around the site, especially from publicbuildings of the Westminster WHS, with their changing levels andother obstructions are no exception. The provision of aids, facilities,
communication and training will be required to overcome physicalbarriers to access but wherever possible, rather than separate
those with special needs from the able-bodied, facilities should beaccessible for all.

Objective 24
To assess an integrated approach to sustainable tourism andimproved facilities and developing an access strategy for thesite. The strategy should assess existing access, consider theconstraints on buildings and look at the optimum ways toassist, if necessary, in providing access arrangements within
the WHS, for those with special needs and disabilities toensure that wherever possible they can use and enjoy theheritage of the place in the same way as the able bodied or be
given alterative offerings.

Improving visitor amenities
5.1.2.22 Tourism is not the primary mission of Westminster Abbey nor the
Palace of Westminster. In the Abbey’s case, although visitors are aprincipal source of income, two thirds of those coming to the Abbey
come for its spiritual offering - to attend a church service or to pray.
However, the architectural, symbolic and historic significance of thesite attracts large numbers of visitors and many come to see the WHS
as a whole, to see and understand something of the related history,
status and monumentality of the Abbey-Palace complex.

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objectives for the management plan

5.1.2.23 The aim should be to provide a high quality experience for visitors,
that is also sensitive to the working elements of the site, including
the dignity and primary functions of the buildings, as well as to thevariety of people who visit the site and their purpose. Depending on
the different visitor profiles it may be appropriate to consider how
visitor management and provision can be co-ordinated between the
Abbey and Palace. Good visitor management and attractive facilities
might generate increased revenue, a lessening of wear and tear of
the fabric and greater educational insight.

5.1.2.24 The Palace of Westminster has recently prepared the document
Improved Access for Visitors, which sets out a number of proposals.
These include improved access for those with special needs anddisabilities, the reduction of security ‘clutter’ on important areas ofhistoric fabric, plans for Westminster Hall to become the generalpublic point of arrival to the Palace, improved information facilities
and signage, as well as the provision of public lavatories. The reportrefers to the continuing need to identify additional accommodation
for a visitor centre, shop and associated retail provisions for the
Palace of Westminster to be sited beyond the Palace complex. At
present no site has been identified.

5.1.2.25 The potential impacts of the provision of a New Visitor Centre toserve the Houses of Parliament need to be carefully considered. A
single new free admission visitor facility, focusing only on the Housesof Parliament, but in the heart of the WHS will raise many visitor
management issues that should be fully explored before any final
decision is made. There may be merit in the concept of a focal visitor
information point, or series of points, serving the whole WHS.

5.1.2.26 The WHS would benefit from clear, accessible and more extensive
signage and orientation plans that encourages visitors to explore
the area. Visitors would gain a greater appreciation of the variety of
the character areas that make up the WHS and as it is a relatively
compact area, they would quickly acquire an understanding of therelationships and linkages between the individual sites. Visitors could
also be encouraged to explore the publicly accessible but slightly‘hidden’ areas of the WHS that are less crowded.

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whilst recognising the popularity of the WHS as a tourist destination
is highly challenging.

Objective 25
To continue to ensure that visitors to the WHS, whatever the
purpose of their visit, find their experience to be enjoyable,
accessible, inclusive and comfortable. To this end, from time
to time it may be appropriate to study the range, type andnumber of visitors to the different parts of the WHS, as well as

objectives for the management plan

5.1.2.27 For the organisations within the site, managing their main missions

to assess the quality of their experience.

Objective 26
To consider the areas and aspects where it may be appropriate
to coordinate visitor management and provision across the
WHS, including the development of some information for
visitors and tourists, which addresses the whole of the site.
Such information would enable many visitors to plan theirvisit to the WHS and make good use of their time.

‘To be a place where people of all nationalities andabilities can to be inspired by the unique characterand beauty of the place and appreciate and learn
about its rich living history’Enhancing intellectual access to the architectureand history of the site
5.1.2.28 Interpretation consists of revealing meaning and making connections.
Better explanation of the links between the constituent parts of
the WHS would enable greater understanding of the interlocking
histories of Westminster Palace and Abbey. Although the WHS
comprises distinct elements, it may be helpful to provide a unified
approach to common themes and selected interpretive media, toreinforce the importance of the site’s inscription and its core values.

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objectives for the management plan

5.1.2.29 The WHS is very complex and requires an overall Interpretation
Strategy that builds upon the Statement of Significance and whichaims to promote a holistic understanding of entire site in a unified
and coherent manner. The strategy should integrate with and becomplementary to other recommended plans for tourism issues, suchas access, audience development, education and marketing.

5.1.2.30 The WHS is an outstanding educational resource, especially for the
topics of history, democracy and citizenship, spiritual celebration, andnational ceremony, providing an exemplar of excellence in life longlearning provision.

5.1.2.31 There is an outstanding opportunity for the WHS operators towork together to provide an exemplar of educational excellence tobroaden understanding of Westminster’s international significanceand its continuing role on the world stage.

Objective 27
To consider how a strategy could be developed to optimise
and coordinate intellectual access for tourists, school children
and other interest groups, as well as for people who live andwork in Westminster and its surroundings.

Objective 28
To encourage the preparation of an Education strategy for thesite that is in line with UNESCO Education Policy.

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Implementing theManagement Plan				

6.1.1 Introduction to the 5 Year Action Plan
6.1.1.1

The vision and objectives must lead to action if this Management
Plan is to succeed. This section sets out how objectives (identified in
Section 5) for safeguarding and enhancing the Outstanding Universal
Value and significances of the WHS will be realised over the coming
years.. The Action Plan begins with initiatives to ensure that theManagement Plan itself is adopted, implemented and reviewed

Implementing the management plan6.

at appropriate intervals, including the development of Annual
Workplans. Specific projects are then identified, which will address
particular issues.

6.1.1.2

The historic buildings of the WHS currently enjoy a regime ofconservation and maintenance to a very high standard and inaccordance with well-established procedures. None of the buildings
or features within the WHS currently requires a major conservation
effort which has not been already identified and implemented
by the relevant agency. The implementation of the objectives for
safeguarding the architectural significance, therefore, concentrates
on the maintenance of the existing regimes of conservation andpreservation. For other objectives, however, such as balancing theneeds of traffic and pedestrians and improvement of the visitor
experience, specific projects can be identified for implementation
over the coming years.

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Implementing the management plan

1.2

5 Year Action Plan

Year 1

ActionNo

ActionObjective

1

Develop a means of monitoring the efficacy 1of the Management Plan, in its guidance

To safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value forand influencing role.

which the Westminster WHS was inscribed which
are embodied in the buildings, spaces, monuments,
artefacts and archaeological deposits within the site,
the setting and views to and from it, its iconic status
and the activities which take place within the WHS.
The Management Plan should seek to guide, influence
and advise those who are managing the organisations

Year 1

2

All those organisations on the WHS Liaison

involved in the site.
2

Steering Group to formally support the

To have an effective, accurate and workable

Management Plan.

Management Plan which will be capable of support by
all the organisations represented on the initial SteeringYear 1

Year

3

Group
Establish a permanent WHS Liaison Steering 3
Group and its remit, to review the progress

To establish a Liaison Steering Group under theof the implementation of theinitial chairmanship of Westminster City Council

management plan.

to review progress of the implementation of the4

Management Plan, to share information and discuss

1 andPrepare Annual Workplans for theissues affecting the World Heritage Site and to review

ongoing

realisation of the objectives andthe Management Plan at appropriate intervals to be

implementation of the actions.

agreed.

Develop a procedure for the Group to8

review and comment on relevant proposals

To undertake a dynamic visual impact study of wider

for development as appropriate

views, within, into and out of the Westminster WorldYear 1

5

Heritage Site for the purpose of assessing the impact ofdevelopment proposals (including tall buildings) on the
Outstanding Universal Value of the WHS.

9
To safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value of the
WHS any proposed developments which might affectthe value, whether by impact on its setting or views
may be commented upon by the Westminster Liaison
Steering Group
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ActionObjective

6

Establish a means of coordination of the4

implementation of the Management Plan.

To consider the most effective means of coordinating
the implementation of the Management Plan andassociated projects and initiatives.

Year 1

7

Examine the feasibility of establishing a7

Buffer Zone (Defined Local Setting) or

To assess the feasibility of establishing a Buffer Zone,

similar designated area informed by a(Defined Local Setting) or similar designated area,

Dynamic Visual Impact Study.

within the context of the policies contained in the

Implementing the management plan

Year 1

ActionNo

London Plan, the Westminster City Council Unitary
Development Plan, and the Unitary Development
Plans or Local Development Frameworks of theother Local Planning Authorities affected, as well as
national policies. The establishment of the Buffer
Zone (Defined Local Setting) could be preceded by anassessment of the key local views affecting the WHS
and the characteristics of the immediate setting of
the WHS, the variety of scales of adjoining buildings,
the River Thames corridor and approaches from all
sides, and views especially to and from south of theriver. Such studies may assist in informing reactions toYear 1

8

Undertake an assessment of the overall

development proposals.
20

security needs of the WHS, with regard to

To consider the feasibility of assessing the overall

safeguarding the values and significances of security needs of the site, in so far as they impact
the WHS, while meeting the practical needs on visible spaces and buildings, in order to identify
of security issues.

ways, where practicable, of meeting security needs inthe short and longer term, which are sensitive to the
Outstanding Universal Value of the site.

Year 19Develop a procedure for influencing the14

relevant authorities and agencies over a

To seek to ensure that the relevant authorities andlong term period with regard to sustaining

agencies will sustain the Outstanding Universal Value

the Outstanding Universal Value ofof the WHS and adhere to the objectives of the WHS

the WHS.

Management Plan, and ensure that these are seen as
important material considerations in the determinationof planning applications and other proposals.

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Implementing the management plan

Year 1

ActionNo

ActionObjective

10

Develop a procedure for the coordination

12of responses to temporary changes or

To consider the feasibility of developing a coordinatedadditions.

response to temporary changes or additions which
impact unfavourably on the overall visual qualities ofthe site or its environs.

Year 1

11

Develop a procedure for monitoring16

the requirements and arrangements for

To ensure that the current arrangements for emergency

emergency planning.

planning and emergency preparedness within the WHS
continue, addressing, where appropriate, the risks tothe significances and values embodied in the fabric of
the WHS.

Year 1

12

Develop a procedure for scrutinising18

and influencing proposals for landscape,To seek to ensure that the WHS Liaison Steeringtransport, traffic management, street

Group scrutinises proposals for landscape, transport,

furnishing or significant infrastructure

traffic management, street furnishing or significant

projects. Consideration should be given to

infrastructure projects, within or close to the WHS, in

how to best link with the World Squares for order to encourage such proposals to take into accountAll Steering Group.

the significances and value of the WHS and addresses
and realises the objectives of the World Heritage Site
Management Plan.

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ActionObjective

13

Undertake a review of the boundaries of5

the WHS with a view to unifying the two

To seek the immediate integration of St Margaret’s

parts of the site in the short term and an

Street, Abingdon Street, Old Palace Yard andappropriate enlargement of the WHS in the Parliament Square, including Cannon Green, within
medium term.

the boundary of the WHS in order to ensure theirprotection and to create a single unified site.

Year 214

Prepare and submit a revised statement

6of significance to the World Heritage

In the medium term, to consider an enlargement ofCommittee via DCMS in preparation for

the WHS in order to include and therefore protect,an application for the revision of thethose buildings and spaces associated with the Palace

Implementing the management plan

Year 2

ActionNoboundaries in accordance with the UK State of Westminster, Westminster Abbey including St
Party review of Statements of Significance.

Margaret’s Church, which share the Outstanding
Universal Value. Such elements would include

Year 215

Prepare an application for revised boundary

buildings, spaces and archaeology of particularand possible Buffer Zone (defined local

importance.

setting) to be submitted to the World
Heritage Committee in accordance with the
UK State Party boundaries
review timetable.

Year 2

16

Commission a study of the noise andsoundscape of the WHS and develop a
strategy for the protection for those sounds
which form part of the significant elementsof the WHS.

Year 2

17

Develop individual management plans

10

for Westminster Abbey and the Palace

To consider the impact of visitors on the physical keyof Westminster in the context of the

aspects of the site, taking account of establishedforthcoming Heritage protection legislation. best practice.

11
To encourage the enhancement of the existing
conservation, maintenance and repair regimes for thebuildings, monuments, artefacts and archaeologicaldeposits within the WHS. Changes to the regime
may be assessed against the objectives of the WHS
Management Plan.

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Implementing the management plan

ActionNo

ActionObjective(No specific actions)13
To continue the practice, through those organisations
represented on the Liaison Steering Group ofachieving wherever possible the highest standards ofarchitecture, design and craftsmanship and the use ofhigh quality materials and finishes when considering
proposals for new buildings, adaptations of theexteriors of existing buildings and significant visible
changes to interiors of unlisted buildings in orderto ensure that they enhance and not diminish thearchitectural ensemble of the WHS.

Year 2

18

Review the impact, on the buildings

15

and spaces of the WHS. of the recently

To maintain and encourage the continuing

announced relocation of the Civil Service.

enhancement where practicable the present use andactivities within the buildings and spaces of the WHS,
which relate to the Outstanding Universal Value of thesite. Wherever possible or practicable, new activities
and uses should be compatible with the individual
institutions represented in the site and the existing
significance and use characteristics of the WHS.

Year 319

Consider the development of a public

17

realm strategy for the WHS.

To consider the appropriateness of establishing a public
realm strategy for the landscape and streetscapes ofthe site which would address· Maintenance, renewal and replacement of trees· Maintenance and desirable improvement ofopen spaces· Desirable improvement to hard landscaping· Environmental aspects of green spaces· Physical and visual clutter· Street furniture and signs

Year 320

Commission the preparation of a design

19

guide of materials and forms for the WHS.

To comment on any design guides utilising existing
policies as appropriate and to suggest materials andforms to be used within the WHS, which would besensitive to the Outstanding Universal Value.

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ActionObjective

21

Commission a study of traffic issues as

22they relate to the needs of the WHS and its

To comment on proposals for landscape transport

users and visitors, taking into account thetraffice management, street furnishing or significant

emerging plans for the area.

infrastructure projects within or close to the WHS inorder to encourage such proposals to take into accountthe significance of the WHS and addresses and realises
the objectives of the World Heritage Site Management
Plan including the development of wider traffic
management strategies in order to develop sustainable

Implementing the management plan

Year 3

ActionNotraffic management strategies for the site, balancing
the needs of the WHS with the needs of residents,
workers and visitors.
Year 322

Commission the preparation of a pedestrian 23
movement strategy

To comment on any studies undertaken to assess
the feasibility of establishing an overall pedestrian
movement strategy for the whole site including; theprovision of safe walking routes around the site,
especially from public transport nodes, to reduce thedominance of motor traffic in Parliament Square,
Abingdon Street, Old Palace Yard, St Margaret Street
and possibly Bridge Street, Parliament Street and Broad
Sanctuary, as well as to encourage visitor dispersal
away from pressure points.

Year 423

The Westminster World Heritage Site

21

Management Plan Liaison Steering GroupTo seek to ensure that future reviews of the City

will review relevant WHS policies inof Westminster Unitary Development Plan or its

existing and emerging spatial planning

replacement and the London Plan and policy

documents at appropriate times in their

documents prepared by other organisations with anreview cycles and put foward suggestions

interest in the World Heritage Site, take account of theand recommendations to spatial and local

significance and value of the WHS and the objectives inplanning authorities which may then be

the WHS Management Plan.

incorporated by the relevant authorities into
their UDPs and emerging LDFs.

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Implementing the management plan

Year 4

ActionNo

ActionObjective

24

Commission a visitor access strategy for24

the WHS.

To assess an integrated approach to sustainable
tourism and improved facilities and developing anaccess strategy for the site. The strategy should assess
existing access, consider the constraints on buildings
and look at the optimum ways to assist, if necessary,in providing access arrangements within the WHS, forthose with special needs and disabilities to ensure that
wherever possible they can use and enjoy the heritageof the place in the same way as the able bodied or be
given alternative offerings.

Year 425

Consider appropriate areas and aspects for

26

coordination of visitor management andTo consider the areas and aspects where it may beprovision across the WHS.

appropriate to coordinate visitor management andprovision across the WHS, including the developmentof some information for visitors and tourists, which
addresses the whole of the site. Such information
would enable many visitors to plan their visit to the
WHS and make good use of their time.

Year 426

Commission the development of

27

interpretation and education strategies for

To consider how a strategy could be developed to

the WHS in order to enhance intellectual

optimise and coordinate intellectual access for tourists,

access to the WHS.

school children and other interest groups, as well as
for people who live and work in Westminster and its
surroundings.

28
To encourage the preparation of an Education strategy
for the site that is in line with UNESCO
Education Policy.

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ActionObjective

27

Consider the need for occasional25

assessment of visitor needs, activities

To continue to ensure that visitors to the WHS,

and experience.

whatever the purpose of their visit, find theirexperience to be enjoyable, accessible, inclusive andcomfortable. To this end, from time to time it may beappropriate to study the range, type and number ofvisitors to the different parts of the WHS, as well as toassess the quality of their experience.

Year 528

Develop a means of monitoring the impact

10of visitor activity on the historic fabric.

To consider the impact of visitors on the physical

Implementing the management plan

Year 5

ActionNofabric of the key aspects of the site taking account of
established best practice.

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appendices

Appendix 1
Inventory of buildings of special architectural note
Westminster Abbey
The character area is defined as the Abbey Church and its principal buildings
and precinct, including the historic buildings in The Sanctuary to the west
and Westminster School to the south, and delineated by Victoria Street to thenorth, Little Smith Street and Great College Street to the south, and Great
Smith Street to the west.

The Abbey Church
Originally Edward the Confessors church c.1050-65, Grade I
Ref. 92/57 and 101/1 – TQ3079NW and TQ3079
The earliest remaining fabric is of Edward the Confessor’s church of c.105065, which was substantially rebuilt by Henry III beginning in 1245 and notcompleted until 1506, excluding the upper part of the west towers. Henry de
Reyns was the master mason for much of the work. The Henry VII Chapel of
Reigate stone with Huddlestone stone was begun as the new Lady Chapel
in 1503 and completed as the Chantry chapel c.1519, probably by Robertand William Virtue. The west towers were built between1735-1745 andare Hawksmoor’s design. In addition there were major C.18th and C.19th byWren, Henry Keene, James Wyatt, Benjamin Wyatt, Blore, Sir George Gilbert
Scott and J. C. Pearson, as Surveyors to the Fabric. The interior has Purbeck
marble piers and shafting; quadripartite vaulting with ridge rib and bosses;
transverse and tierceron ribs introduced in the nave with Perpendicular details
to the bosses in de Reyns’s work. There are a few reset C.13th stained glassfragments, otherwise it is mostly C.15th/C.l6th; C.18th, C.19th and C.20th;
cosmati pavements in Shrine Chapel and Presbytery, etc. Exceptional furnishingand unique collection of monuments and sculpture, etc. The Abbey is the
English St Denis and Reims in one, a unique embodiment of church, state andcrown, and national mausoleum.

The Great Cloisters
Various dates, Grade I
Ref. 101/5 – TQ3079SW
The Great Cloisters were begun at the north-east corner in c.1245-50,
contemporary with the Abbey Church, and completed in 1366 with the143

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appendicesconstruction of the south and west walls. There are remains of C.11th andC.12th buildings, and some of Henry III’s rebuild in the C.13th ,and later building
elements from the C.14th, C.16th, and C.17th to C.19th, including alterations
to and restorations of the Collegiate Church and School. Some repair andrebuilding was also necessary after World War II. The C.13th and C.14th
is mostly in Reigate stone and Purbeck marble, the C.17th and later work
mostly in red brick. The Abbey precinct buildings are now partly in use by theWestminster school.

St Faith’s Chapel
The C.13th chapel abuts the south transept of the Abbey Church and is noted
for its fine blank arcading and rib-vaults with head-corbels.

The Chapter House
The octagonal Chapter House dates from c.1245-53, and is in a very pure
Geometric Gothic, with large, innovative 4-light windows, reminiscent of
the windows of the nave at Amiens cathedral and the contemporary Sainte
Chapelle. The flying buttresses were added in the C.14th. The building was
heavily restored by Scott in the late C.19th, including the rebuild of the cluster
shafted central pier and the rib vaulted ceiling, with a lead tent-lantern roof on
an iron frame over.

Nos. 1 and 2 The Cloisters
The buildings on the south side of the south Cloister walk, running throughto Deans’ Yard, incorporate the remains of many earlier Abbey buildings;
the Refectory from the C.11th with arcaded masonry, the Song School ofc.1192 and the north end of the C.14th Cellarer’s Building. Sections of theeast and north walls of the early refectory building form the garden wall of
Ashburnham House.

The Parlour
To the west Nos. 1 and 2 The Cloisters flank the south side of the Parlour,
which is now the passage that continues from the south Cloister walk into
Deans’ Yard. The fabric is mostly a later C.14th rebuild. Above the passage is aroom that was possibly the Abbot’s Camera.

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South of the Chapter House, and flanked by the east Cloister walk and theappendices

The Dormitory Range

Dark Cloister, the Dormitory range is used today as a museum, with the Pyx
Chapel at the north end and with the remains of a C13th stair giving accessto the Chapter Library. The range retains its C11th vaulted undercroft. The
remainder of the range is occupied throughout the first floor by Westminster
school. It was refaced in 1814 by Benjamin Wyatt, and was largely rebuilt
after being damaged in World War II, but retains C11th features and a Norman
doorway and parts of a window.

The Chapter Library
Fitted out in 1623 as a college library, the book presses are ornamented withstrapwork cresting. The hammerbeam roof is mid C 15th.

The Busby Libraryc.1655-60, at the south end of the Dormitory range and incorporating remainsof the fabric of the Reredorter, the Library was largely rebuilt after World War II.

St. Dunstan’s Chapel
Early C.16th, the Chapel projects from the east side of the Dormitory. The outereast wall of the Dormitory with blocked mediaeval windows is exposed here,
in the adjoining school gymnasium. Above the Chapel sits a chamber with a
C.18th Venetian window.

The Dark Cloister
C.11th, the vaulted passage runs between the surviving walls of the Dormitory
and the Refectory. The long C14th wall on the west side sports a long timberwindow of mullioned lights that gives on to Little Dean’s Yard.

The Abbey Precinct
The Deanery
Various dates, Grade I
Ref. 100/7 – TQ3079SW and TQ2079SE
Formerly the Abbot’s Lodging, and mostly dating from c.1370. The residences
are built around an oblong court that flanks the west side of the Cloister, with
the north range abutting the south tower of the west front of the Abbey. The

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appendicessouth range abuts the Parlour. The entrance to the court is through a passage
in the south range, off the Parlour, with a tierceron vaulted arched roof. Above
the passage is a chamber with 3- and 4-light stone mullioned windows. The
east range of the courtyard is of the earliest date, but with part of the range
rebuilt in the late C.17th and early C.18th in the form of two brick houses. The
south part of this range was rebuilt after World War II.

College Hall
The west range of the court is the College Hall [formerly the Abbot’s Hall]
which dates from the c.1370, but with a C.19th battlemented parapet. The Hall
has a low pitched king post roof with heavy tie beams on arched braces, thespringing points being carved stone angel corbel brackets, and features 2-lightwindows with tracery similar to that in the windows fitted to the C.14th sectionof the Cloister under Abbot Litlyngton.

Jerusalem Chamber
North of the College Hall is the Jerusalem Chamber, which has exceptional
C.13th stained glass medallions, reset from the Abbey Church. The Chamber
has a low pitched roof with an arched braced tie-beam structure.

Jericho Parlour
Early C.16th but incorporating elements of a C.14th building, erected by Abbot
Islip and forming the north range of the courtyard, with a contemporary 4centered doorway arch and later external stone stair giving access to the firstfloor. The interior has many notable features from the C.16th and C.17th, inparticular the principal room on the first floor with linen-fold panelling, and 2
rooms with early C.16th moulded ceiling ribs.

Little Cloisters
Various dates, Grade I
Ref. 101/9 – TQ3079SW
Little Cloister is a late C.14th Farmery cloister on the site of a C.12th Infirmary,with remains of the Chapel of St. Katherine [c.1170]. The cloister arcade isc.1680-81 and the lodgings and offices date from C.17th, which is mostly arebuild incorporating C.14th masonry. Badly damaged in World War II, much
above the ground floors has been considerably rebuilt. The Farmery cloister
is approached by a tunnel-vaulted C.11th passage from the Dark Cloister. The
c.1680-81 arcade has ashlar piers and segmental arches with original wroughtiron railings and good wrought iron gate to the garth.
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This is the major surviving part of the Infirmary east of the cloister with aappendices

The Chapel of St. Catherinec.1371-72, clustered shaft, 2-centred arched doorway off the east walk into
the ruins of the chapel (standing in the gardens of the lodgings) with nave andaisles of which the south arcade and part of the south aisle wall with Norman
windows survive.

Little Cloisters Lodgings
Nos. 1 and 2, 2A, 2B in the north range and Nos. 6, 7 and 8 in the south,
incorporate C.14th stonework to ground floor, with a fragment of the C.11th
east wall of the Reredorter in the south west corner.
No. 3 lodging was rebuilt after World War II.

No. 4 is later C.17th above medieval foundations, L-shaped in plan, in dark red
brick with a tiled gable end roof.

St Margaret’s Church
C.11th/12th, Grade I
Ref. 92/54 – TQ3079NW
Dates from the C.11th and C.12th but substantially rebuilt in the early C.16th,
by the Westminster Abbey masons Robert Stowell and Henry Redman. Therewas extensive restoration on the C.18th and C.19th, most of the tower was
rebuilt by John James in 1735-37, and the east end Chancel by Walter Tower
in 1905, amongst other alterations and additions. There are naturally manyfine features; the east window has fine Flemish stained glass commemorating
the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. There are windows of1966 in an abstract design by John Piper, also known for his work at Coventry
Cathedral and many other commissions.

St Margaret’s Churchyard Railings, Obelisks andBollards
Early C.18th, Grade II
Ref. 91/44 and 92/52 – TQ3079NW and TQ2979NE
Cast iron railings with urn finials, 10 Portland stone obelisk piers and 30
Portland stone bollards forming the boundary to the north and east part ofthe churchyard.

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appendicesLamp standards, St Margaret’s Churchyard
Mid C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 92/56 – TQ3079NW
Cast iron lamp standards between the Abbey and the Church and fronting the
Church’s west porch.

Nos. 1-8 The Sanctuary
1853-54, Sir George Gilbert Scott, Grade II
Ref. 100/5 – TQ2979SE
A terrace of Bath stone buildings, neo-Gothic with some Tudor features,
forming the north range of Dean’s Yard and incorporating the gateway
through to Dean’s Yard.

No. 21 Dean’s Yard [and Abbey Shop]c. 1800, Grade II
Ref. 100/3 – TQ2979SE
A 3 storey brick building in the Tudor Gothic style, built as offices for the
Dean and Chapter, and flanking the Jerusalem Chamber, and related in style
to Scott’s buildings, Nos. 1 to 8 the Sanctuary. The north end was alteredin 1954/6 by S.E. Dykes Bowyer to create the Abbey shop, resulting in theunfortunate ‘Georgian Gothic’ fenestration.

Crimea War and Indian Mutiny Memorial
1859-61, Sir George Gilbert Scott, Grade II
Ref. 91/40 and 100/1 – TQ2979SE and NE
The design is in a high Victorian gothic, the main column in a polished red
granite surmounted by a lantern cross and a statue of St. George andthe dragon.

Lamp Standards
Mid C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 91/50 and 100/6 – TQ2979SE and NE
5 No. cast iron lamp standards with embellished posts and decorative Windsor
type crested lanterns, one pair flanking the entrance to the Abbey Church,another pair to the Dean’s Yard Gatehouse.

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c. 1365. Grade I

appendices

The Jewel Tower

Ref. 92/54 - TQ3079SW
A remnant of Edward III’s Palace of Westminster, formerly used as therepository of the King’s treasure. It sits within the restored remains of it’smoated enclosure and the curtilage of the World Heritage Site. From 1621 to1864 the tower was used as an office and to store records of the House ofLords. When fire engulfed the Palace of Westminster in 1834, only the Jewel
Tower and Westminster Hall survived. The Tower is now used as a museum of
the History of Parliament and is In the care of English Heritage.

The Abbey [Canons’] Gardens
No. 1 The Abbey Gardens
1882, J.L. Pearson, Grade II
Ref. 101/23 – TQ3079SW
A substantial detached house, formerly a Canon’s house, now converted foruse as offices, in a restrained Tudor-Gothic style. The south, rear, elevation sits
behind the Precinct Wall overlooking Great College Street.

Ashburnham Housec.1662, attributed to John Webb, Grade I
Ref. 101/13 – TQ3079SW
A substantial town house within the Abbey Precinct, Little Dean’s Yard. The
masonry structure and the kitchen and hall walls of the earlier C.14th Prior’s
Lodging are incorporated into the structure. The west wing was added 1910.
Internally the plan is not symmetrical because of the need to accommodate
the medieval work. The C.17th interior is very fine, in particular the staircase
rising in a spacious open well, top lit by a large lantern and dome.

4 Statues, College Garden
1686, Grinling Gibbons and Arnold Quellin, Grade II
Ref. 101/85 – TQ3079SW
Statues of the Apostles in marble, very heavily weathered, which wereoriginally from the altar of the Queen’s Chapel [by Wren] in the former Palaceof Whitehall. Better preserved elements are kept at Burnham on Sea.

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appendices

The Abbey Precinct Wall
Early mediaeval and c.1374, Grade I
Ref. 101/13 – TQ3079SW
The wall is the boundary of the Abbey Precinct onto Great College Street
to the south and east, about 6½ metres high of Kentish Ragstone with aweathered brick coping. At the base it is of ashlar stonework, indicatingthat it was a defensive wall against high tides along the former Thames river
front. On the Great College Street frontage late mediaeval 5-centred archeddoorways and later C.18th and C.19th square headed doorways can be seen.

The Abbey Precinct Railings
C.17th/C.18th, Grade II
Ref. 91/47, 92/52, 100/2, 101/2 – TQ2979NE and SE, TQ3079SW and NWCast iron railings with decorative standards and urn finials. Situated to thewest of the Abbey, to the east end.

No. 1 Little Dean’s Yard
1896, Sir T.G. Jackson, Grade II
Ref. 101/16 – TQ3079SW
A school house, the west end of Rigaud’s house rebuilt in a late neo-Jacobean
style.

Nos. 2 and 3 Little Dean’s Yard
1789-90, R.W.F. Brettingham, Grade II
Ref. 101/18 – TQ3079SW
The house of the Master of the King’s Scholars, No. 2 built and No. 3 aremodelled earlier building, to form a symmetrical composition with No. 1.

No. 4 Little Dean’s Yard
1722-30, Lord Burlington, Grade I
Ref. 101/19 – TQ3079SW
The Westminster school dormitory, known as ‘College’, badly damaged in
World War II and rebuilt in 1947. The building was Burlington’s first exercise inpublic architecture and the blind niches that were part of his elegant Palladianstyle were cut open as windows by T.G. Jackson in 1895.

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1664-9/1734, Grade I

appendices

Staircase, Little Dean’s Yard

Ref. 101/15 – TQ3079SW
A stone stair to the Dormitory range and the Busby Library from the Yard. The
stair and upper doorway date from 1664 and the stone gateway from 1734.

Turle’s House
1844, J.L. Pearson, Grade II
Ref. 101/14 – TQ3079SW
A school house, incorporating fragments of the C.11th Abbey Reredorter andbuilt partly over the Dark Cloister. The remains of the Reredorter can be seen in
the basement and at first floor level.

Dean’s Yard
Dean’s Yard is a sheltered square with a large lawn in the centre, enclosed
by a group of buildings of mixed style, and of somewhat varied quality. The
space is perhaps too large to suit the smaller scale mediaeval and neo-gothic
buildings that face onto it, but is detracted from, above all, by its inevitable use
as a parking area for the School and Church offices. At the Yard’s south range
the earlier mid C18th houses have been replaced by Sir Herbert Baker’s Church
House of 1936-40, a high, stone fronted edifice taking up the entire frontage,
rather monolithic and out of keeping with the variety of the other ranges.

West Range
No. 1 Dean’s Yard
1862, Sir George Gilbert Scott, Grade II
Ref. 100/9 – TQ2979SE
Built by Scott as part of a group for the Church and Westminster School,
Scott’s building is a neo-Gothic end of terrace house of 3 storeys, with abasement and gabled attic, in red brick with stone dressings and a slate roof.

Nos. 3 and 3a Dean’s Yardc. 1865, Sir George Gilbert Scott, John Oldrid Scott, Grade II
Ref. 100/8 – TQ2979SE
Westminster School House, a terraced house in the neo-early-Tudor style, theDean’s Yard frontage is 3 storeys, with a basement and dormered attics, of red
brick with stone dressings. The Great Smith Street frontage is four storeys of
rubble stone walling with ashlar dressings and later slate mansards.

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appendicesNos. 3b and 4 Dean’s Yardc. 1915, G. Wallace, Grade II
Ref. 100/11 – TQ2979SE
Choir School buildings built in a neo-Tudor ‘Jacobethan’ style of red brick withstone dressings and a slate roof.

Nos. 5a and 6 Dean’s Yardc. 1898-1900, G.A. Hall, Grade II
Ref. 100/13 – TQ2979SE
A pair of houses, four storeys and a basement, built for the School in freestyle‘Jacobethan’ of red brick with stone dressings and slate roofs, but madenotable by good ‘Arts and Crafts’ detailing.

South Range
Church House
1936-40, Sir Herbert Baker and A.T. Scott, Grade II
Ref. 100/101 – TQ2979SE and TQ3079SW
This unusual pre-war building closes the south range of Dean’s Yard, built for
the Church of England to serve as an Assembly Hall, Chapel and offices. The
building was damaged by bombs in World War II and restored in 1949-50.

East Range
Much of the building in the east range of Dean’s Yard was originally probably
used by the Abbey’s monastic school, before 1200. When the Abbey becamea Cathedral in 1540 the school became the King’s Grammar School, with
40 King’s Scholars. The Westminster School was re-founded by Elizabeth I in
1560 and now also occupies the buildings to the south of this range, and thecomplex of buildings to the east.

No. 17 Dean’s Yard
Late C.18th, Grade I
Ref. 101/17 – TQ3079SW
No. 17 is the Westminster School’s Headmaster’s House, a rebuilt mediaevalmonastic school building, now subdivided into 17 and 17A.

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C.14th, Grade I

appendicesNo. 18 Dean’s Yard

Ref. 101/12 – TQ3079SW
Late C.14th in origin, the Bailiff’s Guest House was part of the west rangeof the Abbey buildings. Taken over by the Grammar School in 1461 it was
substantially rebuilt in a Tudor Gothic style in 1886, probably by T.G. Jackson.
The original C.14th arched opening to the left of the façade leads through to
Little Dean’s Yard. The house has many fine architectural features, to the Little
Dean’s Yard frontage as well as to the main frontage, and is one of the finerbuildings in the group.

Nos. 19, 19a and 20 Dean’s Yard
C.14th and C.15th. Grade I
Ref. 101/8 – TQ3079SW
As with No. 18, part of the west range of the Abbey buildings; the Cellarer’sbuilding, the Abbey Guest House and the remains of the Blackstole Tower,
all taken over by the Grammar School in the C.15th and C.16th, and muchaltered in the C.17th and C.18th. The group has many fine features from the
C.14th through to the C.18th including the C.14th archway under the Blackstole
Tower, the tierceron vaulted passageway to No. 19A and the fine and varied
fenestration from many periods. The remains of the Cellarer’s building and
Abbey Guest House survive in No. 20, showing a tierceron vaulted groundfloor with wall shafts and some original fenestration in the east wall.

Lamp Standards
Mid C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 100/12 – TQ2979SE
10 No. slender cast iron lamp standards and decorative Windsor type crested
lanterns, symmetrically placed around the green.

Lamp Standards
Mid to late C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 100/14 – TQ2979SE
3 No. cast iron lamp standards with square finialed lanterns, 2 No. as a pair to
Church House steps.

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appendicesNo. 7 Tufton Street, Faith House
1907, [Sir] Edward Lutyens, Grade II
Ref. 101/27 – TQ3079SW
An office and Institute building, originally the St. John’s Institute. An early
London project by Lutyens described as a ‘wittily Georgianized palazzo’.

The Palace of Westminster
Bounded by Bridge Street to the north, The Thames to the east, Parliament
Square, St. Margaret Street, Old Palace Yard, Abingdon Street and Millbank to
the west and south.

The New Palace of Westminster
1835-60, Sir Charles Barry with AW Pugin, Grade I
with Westminster Hall, 1079-99, and other remaining elements of the Palaceof Westminster.
Ref. 92/53 and 101/7 – TQ3079NW and SW
Westminster Hall is the most significant surviving element of the original Palaceof Westminster, built in 1097-99 and remodelled in 1394-1401 by mastermason Henry Yevele and carpenter Hugh Herland. The Houses of Parliament[or New Palace of Westminster] were designed by Barry in competition with
George Gilbert Scott and other eminent Architects. Pugin carried out theinterior decoration and furnishings as well as detailing the building fabric. The
Palace includes St. Stephen’s Chapel, dating from c.1292-97 with additional
work in c.1302, and St. Stephen’s Cloister and chantry chapel, 1526-29,
restored after damage by bombing in World War II.

Statue of Oliver Cromwell
1899, Hamo Thornycroft, Grade II
Ref. 92/55 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a Portland stone base, in front of Westminster Hall.
Cromwell is depicted with a lion.

Statue of Richard I
1851, Baron Carlo de Marochetti, Grade II
Bronze equestrian figure on granite plinth in Old Palace Yard

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appendicesGates Railings and Gate Piers to New Palace Yard,
New Palace of Westminster
c.1860-67, E.M. Barry, Grade I
Ref. 92/47 – TQ3079NW
Portland stone with wrought iron in the Gothic style, a component of Barry’s
design for the new Palace of Westminster.

Lampstandards to New Palace Yard, New Palace ofWestminster
c.1860-67, E.M. Barry, Grade II
Ref. 92/48 – TQ3079NW
14 No. cast iron lampstandards, octagonal bases and shafts, the lanterns
finialed with crowns, a component of Barry’s design for the Housesof Parliament.

Victoria Tower Gardens
Late C.19th, Grade II
Register of Parks and Gardens Ref. 1841 – TQ3079
The triangular riverside garden to the south of the Palace of Westminster,was created as a public garden in the C.19th and extended in 1914. The
embankment to the river provides a walk that continues past Lambeth
Bridge to the south, and beyond. The garden contains a number of memorial
sculptures, in particular the Pankhurst memorial [cf. Millicent Fawcett Hall No
46 Tufton Street] and the Burghers of Calais, by Rodin.

Victoria Tower Gardens, the Embankment Wall
Mid C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 101/58 – TQ3079SW and TQ3078NW
The granite embankment wall is contemporary and continuous with Barryand Pugin’s Palace of Westminster, now somewhat battered, and adorned
with mooring rings. The southern portion is now isolated by the abutment ofLambeth Bridge.

Victoria Tower Lodge and gates to Black Rod’s Gardenc. 1850-60, Barry and Pugin, Grade I
Ref. 101/21 – TQ3079SW
The lodge house and gates were part of Barry and Pugin’s rebuilding of the
Palace of Westminster; the lodge is octagonal, of magnesium limestone andin a domestic Tudor/Gothic style; the gates are adorned by Pugin’s hand withornate Gothic ironwork.
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appendices

Statue to Emmeline Pankhurst
1930, A.G. Walker, Grade II
Ref. 101/24 – TQ3079SW
A bronze figure of the women’s suffrage leader, on a stone pedestal, moved toits present location in 1956.

Statuary Group of the Burgers of Calais
1915, Auguste Rodin, Grade I
Ref. 101/38 – TQ3079SW
A bronze group of the Calais hostages, on a stone pedestal, repositioned andplaced on its present lower pedestal by Rodin.

Buxton Memorial Fountain
1865, S.S. Teulon, Grade II
Ref. 101/68 – TQ3079SW
A delicate Gothic octagonal pavilion enriched with polychrome materials, inlimestone and granite with an enamelled roof. Moved from its original positionin Parliament Square.

Broad Sanctuary North
Bounded by Great George Street to the north, Parliament Square [included] tothe east, Broad Sanctuary to the south, and Matthew Parker Street, Storey’s
Gate and Lewisham Street to the west and north west.

The Institution of Civil Engineers, Great George Street
1912, James Millar, Grade II
Ref. 91/28 - TQ2797NE
A monumental corner block in Beaux Arts style, built for the Institute. The
building is embellished with rich neo-Palladian and Baroque detailing.

The Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Great
George Street
1896-98, Alfred and Paul Waterhouse, Grade II
Ref. 92/33 – TQ3079NE
An idiosyncratic institution headquarters by Waterhouse, with later additions
by his son, in an eclectic Jacobean, renaissance and Gothic style.

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c. 1755/56, Grade II*

appendicesNo. 11 Great George Street

Ref. 92/32 – TQ3079NE
A Georgian town house, formerly part of a terrace, with a good
Palladian front

Parliament Squarec. 1860, Sir Charles Barry, George Grey Wornum, Grade II
Register of Parks and Gardens Ref. 2702 – TQ3079
The Square has been cleared in recent times of its mediaeval streets and laterhouses to create an open area that was initially laid out as a formal squarein about 1851. By 1949 traffic conditions required that the road system bereviewed and Wornum redesigned the Square to the requirements of the
Ministry of Transport. The Square is divided into 2 separate areas; the mainsquare to the east and a smaller green in front of Little George Street to thewest. In addition to the architecturally imposing buildings that surround it, it isdignified by a number of important statues and sculptures.

Middlesex Guildhall
1906-13, J.G.S. Gibson with Skipworth and Gordon, Grade II*
Sculpture by H.C. Fehr
Ref. 92/49 – TQ3079NW
County Guildhall is a freestanding block facing the Palace of Westminster
across Parliament Square. The styling is late neo-Gothic with northern
European influences, accomplished in its massing and in the confident
distribution of carved ornamentation and plain wall faces. The massiveness ofthe masonry belies that the fact that the building is constructed around a load
bearing steel frame. In the basement of the Guildhall the C.17th gateway to
Tothill Fields prison is preserved.

Statue of Sir Robert Peel
1876, Mathew Noble, Grade II
Ref. 92/51 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a pedestal of polished red granite.

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appendices

Statue of Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield
1882, Raggi, Grade II
Ref. 92/50 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a pedestal of red granite.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln
1920, a copy of Augustus St Gaudens’ memorial in Chicago , Grade II
Ref. 92/46 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a granite pedestal.

Statue of George Canning
1832, Sir Richard Westmacott, Grade II
Ref. 92/44 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a granite pedestal, repositioned in Parliament
Square in 1867.

Statue of Edward Stanley, Earl of Derby
1874, Mathew Noble, Grade II
Ref. 92/45 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a pedestal of granite with bronze bas-reliefs
depicting scenes from the Prime Minister’s life, including interiors of the Old
House of Commons.

Statue of Henry John Temple, Viscount Palmerston
1876, T. Woolner and E.M. Barry [pedestal], Grade II
Ref. 92/34 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a granite pedestal.

Statue of Field Marshal Jan Smuts
1876, Jacob Epstein, Grade II
Ref. 92/35 – TQ3079NW
Bronze standing figure on a granite pedestal.

The Methodist Central Hall
1905-11, Lanchester and Rickards, Grade II*
Ref. 91/27 – TQ2979NE
The Hall is the Methodists’ principal London Hall, designed for their use. It isa free standing block facing St. Margaret’s Church across Broad Sanctuary, in158wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

main east front, all surmounted by the dome on a square base. The building isappendicesa French Baroque style and dominated by the massive Corinthian order of therichly embellished throughout, the interior noted for its confident and opulent
design by Lanchester.

The Queen Elizabeth Conference Centre
1979-86. Powell Moya and Partners
TQ2979NE
Although not listed, the QEII conference centre is an imposing presence in
Broad Sanctuary, facing the north façade of the Abbey Church across themodern vehicle route and urban spaces of Victoria Street. The QEII centre
was constructed on the site of the demolished Sanctuary Church that faced
the mediaeval gateway, now gone, across Broad Sanctuary, and which gave
entrance to Dean’s Yard. The principal rooms are named after British figures
who have made major contributions to modern society, from Churchill
to Caxton.

No. 8 Storeys’ Gate, Abbey Buildings
1860-70, Sir George Gilbert Scott, Grade II
Ref. 91/27 – TQ2979NE
Office and chambers building in a Flemish renaissance style, and withterracotta embellishments to the attic windows.

No. 1 Barton Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/30 – TQ3079SW
A fine early C.18th town house with a later [C.19th] refronting; 3 storeys witha basement and a mansard behind the brick parapet. A part of the enclave ofsimilar housing together with Lord North Street and Cowley Street.

No. 3 Barton Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/34 – TQ3079SW
As No. 1 but with the original brown brick façade, and tiled roof.

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appendicesNos. 4 to 6 Barton Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/40 – TQ3079SW
As No. 3, but No. 6 has C.20th alterations and a stuccoed ground floor. The
houses have differing decorative doorcases, all fine and in good condition, andvarious other period components.

No. 8 Barton Streetc. 1909, Horace Field, Grade II
Ref. 101/39 – TQ3079SW
An exercise in C.18th town house design, to blend in with the historic terrace,in red brick and Portland stone and with a tiled roof.

Nos. 9 and 10 Barton Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/35 – TQ3079SW
As No. 3, a pair of terraced houses with doorways to the right.

Nos. 11 to 14 Barton Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/28 – TQ3079SW
Fine early C.18th town houses as Nos. 8 and 10, but with stuccoed groundfloor faces and slate roofs. The houses have a continuous painted timberarchitrave cornice carried across doorways and ground floor windows.

No. 1 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/44 – TQ3079SW
Originally an early C.18th town house in brown brick with tiled roof but largely
rebuilt. The house is 3 storeys with basements and dormered mansards.
The following Cowley Street houses are part of the exceptional enclave ofGeorgian housing together with Barton Street and Lord North Street.

Nos. 2 and 3 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/44 – TQ3079SW
A fine pair of early C.18th town houses in brown brick with tiled roofs,
basements and dormered mansards. The doors are set in early C.19th reeded
timber architrave case with timber bosses.
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1904-5, Horace Field for North Eastern Railway, Grade II

appendicesNo. 4 Cowley Street

Ref. 101/41 – TQ3079SW
An early neo-Georgian exercise in C.17th style, a terraced town house andoffices in dark red brick and Portland stone with a tiled roof. The building is alittle oversized for the surroundings but has fine Arts and Crafts detailing andmuch rich ornamentation.

No. 13 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/53 – TQ3079SW
A fine early C.18th town house in brown brick with tiled roof, 3 storeys withbasement and dormered mansard.

No. 14 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/52 – TQ3079SW
As No. 13.

No. 15 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/58 – TQ3079SW
As No. 13.

Nos. 16 and 17 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/50 – TQ3079SW
As No. 13.

No. 18 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/49 – TQ3079SW
As No. 13.

No. 19 Cowley Streetc. 1722, Blow and Billerey, Grade II*
Ref. 101/48 – TQ3079SW
As No. 13, but extended and restored in 1920, in brown brick with tiled roof.

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appendicesNo. 16 Great College Streetc. 1720-22, Grade II*
Ref. 101/32 – TQ3079SW
A very early Georgian terraced town house, in brown brick with contrasting
red brick dressings and with a tiled roof.

No. 17 and 18 Great College Streetc. 1720-22, Grade II*
Ref. 101/31 – TQ3079SW
Contemporary with No. 16, a pair of terraced town house, mirrored in plan,in brown brick with a tiled roof. Of particular interest are the timber doorcases
to the right and left, the architrave cases surmounted by projecting cornice
hoods, supported on carved console brackets. As with No. 16 the houses
retain much of the interior finishes and structure; original fielded timber
panelling, box cornices, pilastered archways, dog leg stairs and fine turned
balusters.

No. 19 Great College Streetc. 1722, Grade II*
Ref. 101/26 – TQ3079SW
Again contemporary with No. 16, a very early Georgian corner terrace house,in brown brick, although with a C.19th stucco ground floor facing, and with atiled roof. The original timber doorcase with architrave and an over-pedimentsupported by console brackets. Again the house retains its early wrought ironrailings with urn finials and a wrought iron lamp standard. In the interior, mostof its original fielded timber panelling to the front rooms and passage remains,
and a dog leg stair with turned balusters.

No. 22 Great College Street,including St. Edward’s Chapel Tufton Street and The Chapel of St. Peterand St. John
1903-5, Edward Burgess, Grade II
Ref. 101/25 – TQ3079SW
Built in freestyle Tudor Gothic as the home of the Society of St. John the
Evangelist, the group of buildings is in red brick with stone dressings and aslate roof, and boasts an embattled tower. The chapel interior is an originaland sensitive example of Early English neo-Gothic church architecture.

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appendices

Corner House Great Peter Street, No. 11 Cowley
Street and 8 Little College Street
1911, Edward Lutyens, Grade II
Ref. 101/47 – TQ3079SW
A pair of town houses on a corner site, a good example of Lutyens’ work of
the period; neo-Georgian in style, but with the windows oversized in scale.
They were built for the Hon. F. McLaren and Lady Norman.

Nos. 1 and 2 Millbank, The Church Commissioners
Including No. 3 Great College Street, No. 2 Great Peter Street and Nos. 5 and7 Little College Street
1903, W.D. Caroe, Grade II*
Ref. 101/43 – TQ3079SW
This large island office block was designed for the Church Commissioners
by Caroe in what is described as an ‘eclectic yet sophisticated’ northern
Renaissance style, and with what Pevsner calls ‘nice scrolly details’.

Great Smith Street
Church of St Matthew, Great Peter Street
1849-51, Sir George Gilbert Scott, Grade II
Ref. 101/17 – TQ3079SW
A large and imposing church in Scott’s favoured C.13th Gothic style. The
building was gutted by fire in 1982 and the interior was reinstated in 1984.
The spire that was intended to sit on the massive south tower was never built.

No. 20 Great Peter Streetc. 1905, Grade II
Ref. 101/18 – TQ3079SW
The Clergy House for St. Matthew’s Church, designed in a restrained ‘Arts andCrafts’/domestic Gothic style. It is noticeable for its large central stone portal
with moulded jambs and an ornate canopied niche above.

No. 14 Great Smith Street, Orchard House
1898, Grade II
Ref. 100/S1 – TQ2979SE
Orchard House includes Nos. 1 and 2 Abbey Orchard Street. An ornate shop
front property embellished with modelled terracotta work by W.J.
Neatby Birch.
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appendicesNos. 36 to 40 [even] Great Smith Streetc. 1725, Grade II
Ref. 100/19 – TQ2979SW
Terraced town houses contemporary with Barton Street, Cowley Street, Great
College Street and Lord North Street.

Park House, Great Smith Streetc. 1904, Grade II
Ref. 100/50 - TQ2979SW
A mansion block from the mid-Edwardian period, with terracotta decorative
elements.

Nos. 1 and 1B Bridge Street
The St. Stephen’s Club, 1874, John Wichcord, Grade II
Ref. 92/41 – TQ3079NW
Recently demolished to make way for Portcullis House.

No. 2 Bridge Street
Extension to the St. Stephen’s Club, 1874, John Wichcord, Grade II
Ref. 92/40 – TQ3079NW
Recently demolished with Nos. 1 and 1b.

No. 10 Bridge Street
St. Stephen’s Tavern, 1875, Grade II
Ref. 92/38 – TQ3079NW
A Victorian public house and dining rooms, which has recently been broughtback in to use.

Nos. 11 and 12 Bridge Streetc. 1900, Grade II
Ref. 92/37 – TQ3079NW
A corner block of offices and shops in Portland stone, included with Nos.
34-36 Parliament Street [Ref. 92/37 – TQ3079NW]. The building is 6 storeys
in a northern Renaissance style with a later mansard roof, probably originallygabled.

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c. 1870, Grade II

appendicesNo. 37 Parliament Street

Ref. 92/36 – TQ3079NW
Adjoining Nos. 34 to 36 Chambers building with a shop front in an eclectic
Renaissance style.

HM Treasury
1898-1901, John Brydon, Grade II*
Ref. 91/6 – TQ2979NE and TQ3079NW‘New’ Government Offices of 1898, a massive island block in the English
Baroque revival style, between Whitehall and St James’ Park, fronting on to
Great George Street to the south. The offices are connected by the Archway
Link to Scott’s Foreign Office, across King Charles Street to the north. The
building was modified by Government Architect Sir Henry Tanner in 1912,
but retains all the principal architectural features, including the central circular
arcaded courtyard and the grand double branching stair. In the basement
are the reinforced concrete in World War II ‘War Rooms’ and Sir Winston
Churchill’s flat and office bunker.

Norman Shaw North Building, Victoria Embankment
Formerly New Scotland Yard
1887-90, Richard Norman Shaw and R. Dixon Butler, Grade I
Ref. 92/19 – TQ3079NW
The old Metropolitan Police headquarters, in Shaw’s iconic red brick and stone
banding. The building marks Shaw’s transition to the later ‘grand manner’buildings. The design introduces a defensive element with the use of a
substantial granite podium and corner tourelles, the building massing being
four square around a central courtyard. On the Embankment elevation is abronze roundel of Shaw by Hamo Thornycroft.

Norman Shaw South Building, Victoria Embankment
Formerly New Scotland Yard
1896-98, Richard Norman Shaw and R. Dixon Butler, Grade I
Ref. 92/19 – TQ3079NW
Built in 1904-06 as an extension to the old Metropolitan Police headquarters,
similar I style to the North building, but on a narrower site, giving the building
a stronger vertical emphasis. Joined to the North building by a segmental
arched bridge.

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appendicesGates and Piers to the Norman Shaw Buildings,
Victoria Embankment
1904, Reginald Blomfield and others, Grade II*
Ref. 92/23 – TQ3079NW
Granite gate piers and ornate wrought iron gates, acquired by Shaw after hesaw them on exhibition. Erected between Shaw’s North and South buildings.

Westminster Bridge
1862, Thomas Page, Grade II*
Ref. 92/43 – TQ3079NW
Westminster Road bridge is of cast iron structure, 7 segmental girder arches,with the piers and abutants in granite, the Gothic detailing in keeping with
the New Palace of Westminster. The eastern half of the bridge is in the London
Borough of Lambeth.

Boadicea [Boudicca]
1850s, Thomas Thorneycroft, Grade II
Ref. 92/42 – TQ3079NW
Statuary group, a romantic Beaux Arts composition in bronze on a granite
pedestal, 3 figures in a 2 horse chariot. The sculpture was to a design by Sir
T.G. Jackson and erected in 1902.

Nos. 9 and 11 Old Queen Streetc.1690-1700, Grade II
Ref. 91/26 – TQ2979NE
A pair of small terraced house with later shop windows inserted. Restored in
the 1970s with neo-Georgian details.

No. 20 Old Queen Street
1909, F.W Troup, Grade II
Ref. 91/16 – TQ2979NE
A small terraced Edwardian house with Arts and Crafts/neo-Georgian
detailing.

No. 24 Old Queen Street
C.18th, Grade II
Ref. 91/15 – TQ2979NE
A substantial terraced house, a rebuild of an earlier [c.1690-1700] house.

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c.1800, Grade II

appendicesNos. 26 and 28 Old Queen Street

Ref. 91/14 – TQ2979NE
Terraced houses, rebuild of earlier houses.

Nos. 30 and 32 Old Queen Streetc.1774-80, Grade II
Ref. 91/13 – TQ2979NE
A pair of terraced houses, rebuild of earlier houses.

No. 34 Old Queen Streetc.1774-80, Grade II
Ref. 91/10 – TQ2979NE
A terraced house, a rebuild of an earlier house.

No. 43 Old Queen Street
C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 91/25 – TQ2979NE
A rebuild of an earlier end of terrace town house, with a shop front.

Cockpit Steps [adjoining No. 38] Old Queen Street
Late C.17th, Grade II
Ref. 91/12 – TQ2979NE
A flight of steps from Old Queen Street to St. James’ Park, associated with theRoyal Cockpit, and rebuilt in 1964 at the same time as Nos. 36 and 38.

Lampstandards, Old Queen Street
Early to mid C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 91/24 – TQ2979NE
6 No. cast iron lampstandards, part of a sequence with those in the adjoining
Queen Anne’s Gate.

No. 1 Dean Trench Street
1951-5, H.S. Goodhart-Rendel, Grade II
Ref. 101/73 – TQ3079SW
A rebuild of the original 1912 corner terrace house, also by Goodhart-Rendel.
The building was bombed in World War II and rebuilt in the manner ofNorman Shaw as a block of flats, now converted for use as offices. The blockis regarded as an interesting exercise in post war design.

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appendicesNos. 2 and 4 Dean Trench Street, 59 Tufton Streetc. early1920s, Grade II
Ref. 101/79 – TQ3079SW
This row of 3 neo-Georgian town houses dates from the early C.20th
redevelopment of the west side of Smith Square.

No. 3 Dean Trench Street
1924, Grade II
Ref. 101/77 – TQ3079SW
As with Nos. 2 and 4, this neo-Georgian town house dates from theredevelopment of the west side of Smith Square.

No. 7 Gayfere Streetc.1800, Grade II
Ref. 101/56 – TQ3079SW
A fine example of a modest artisan’s house, late Georgian.

Nos. 10 and 11 Gayfere Streetc.1800, Grade II
Ref. 101/59 – TQ3079SW
As No. 7, a good example of a pair of artisan’s houses, late Georgian. No. 11
was evidently once a shop front property, as evidenced by the slender timberpilasters supporting a timber entablature to the ground floor elevation.

No. 12 Gayfere Street and No. 40 Smith Squarec.1930, Oliver Hill, Grade II
Ref. 101/66 – TQ3079SW
This fine house on 2 plots is a sophisticated demonstration of infill dating from
1930, in the neo-Georgian ‘beau monde’ style.

Nos. 17 to 21 Gayfere Streetc.1800, Grade II
Ref. 101/60 – TQ3079SW
As No. 7, a good example of a terrace of artisan’s houses, late Georgian,varying in plot dimension.

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appendicesNorth House and Gayfere House Great Peter Street,Nos. 22 and 23 Gayfere Street
1930-35, Oliver Hill, Grade II
Ref. 101/54 – TQ3079SW
Gayfere House and North House were built for Lord and Lady Mount Temple
and for Robert Hudson respectively. Built in a simple ‘Queen Anne’ style, bothprincipal houses have spectacular mirror-glass interiors in the Regency style,all by Hill, and in particular, fluted and faceted mirror wall cladding in thebathrooms.

Coroner’s Court, Horseferry Road
1893, C.R.W. Wheeler, Grade II
Ref. 105/2 - TQ2978NE
A detached building in an early Arts and Crafts style, incorporating neoGeorgian and Jacobean elements.

Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10 and 11 Lord North Streetc. 1720-25, Grade II*
Ref. 101/62 – TQ3079SW
A fine terrace of early C.18th small town houses with only minor alterations
and additions, although some original houses have been combined, resulting
in the apparent ‘loss’ of Nos. 1, 3, 6 and 9. Most of the interiors have survived
remodelling and retain much of their original timber panelling and dog leg
stairs with turned balusters.

Nos. 14 to 17 and 19 Lord North Streetc. 1720-25, Grade II*
Ref. 101/61 – TQ3079SW
Contemporary with the facing terrace. Nos. 13 and 14 have been combined,
and Nos. 18 and 19. Both terraces are exceptionally well preserved.

Bollards, Lord North Streetc. 1720-25, Grade II
Ref. 101/67 – TQ3079SW
Granite bollards, contemporary with the buildings and an important elementof the exceptionally well preserved streetscape.

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appendices

Ninth Church of Christ Scientist, Marsham Street
1926-30, Sir Herbert Baker, Grade II
Ref. 101/65 – TQ2979SE and TQ3079SW
An imposing church and Sunday School chapel in Byzantine styled andmonolithic dark red brick. The church is in 3 sections; the Sunday School andthe Assembly Hall, separated by a narthex. The Hall is circular, approximately
100’ in diameter.

No 29 Marsham Street, No 46 Tufton Street
1927-29, Douglas Wood, Grade II
Ref. 1900-/100-101/10003 – TQ297330
Millicent Fawcett Hall was commissioned, designed and paid for by women
who led the constitutional campaign for equal political rights. The Hall housed
the activities of the London and National Society for Women’s Service, now
known as the Fawcett Society, who educated and campaigned intensively insupport of economic and moral equality for women. The library is reportedly
the largest and oldest in Britain devoted to the study of women’s issues.

Imperial Chemical House, Millbank
1928, Sir. F. Baines, Grade II
Ref. 101/83 – TQ3079SW and TQ3078NW
An island office block, designed as part of a uniform composition with ThamesHouse. The ornate doors are by W.B. Fagan, panelled and plated in nickelcopper alloy with naturalistic motifs. The statuary is by Jagger.

St. John’s Smith Square Concert Hall
[formerly the Church of St. John the Evangelist]
1713-28, Thomas Archer, Grade I
Ref. 101/751 – TQ3079NW
The Parish Church of St. John occupies the island site in the centre of Smith
Square, a bold design in English Baroque and considered a masterpiece of thestyle. Built in 1728 and restored after damage during World War II, St. John’sis also known as Queen Anne’s Footstool due to a legend that, when thearchitect consulted Queen Anne on the design of the new church, she kickedover her footstool and snapped ‘like that!’ Thus the four towers are said toresemble the legs of an upturned footstool. It is a Greek cross on plan, withthe re-entrant corners embellished by projecting quadrants;
the four arms are not completely symmetrical but treated as pairs, the north170

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badly damaged by fire in 1742 and the interior was reworked by James Horne,

appendicesand south being the entrances, the east and west are blind. The Church was

involving the loss of many elements of Archer’s design. The Church was burnt
out again during World War II and the interior this time restored in 1965-68
by Marshall Sisson to its early C.18th form, and is now used as a concert hall.
The Hall is a fine and idiosyncratic element of the exceptionally well preserved
Georgian square and, as a concert hall, makes a welcome contribution to thecultural life of the area.

Nos. 1 and 2 Smith Square
1726, Grade II*
Ref. 101/70 – TQ3079SW
As with all the remaining early C.18th terraced houses on Smith Square thispair of houses was an component of Sir James Smith’s original developmentof the Square, although this pair was largely rebuilt after being damaged in
World War II. These early houses are part of the beautifully preserved enclaveof town houses, together with Lord North Street and Barton and Cowley
Streets.

Nos. 3, 4 and 5 Smith Square
1726, Grade II*
Ref. 101/71 – TQ3079NW
As with Nos. 1 and 2, built as part of Sir James Smith’s original developmentof the Square. At 2nd floor level No. 5 has a small stone tablet inscribed “Smith
Square 1726”. The interiors retain many original elements, despite obvious
alterations and restorations, in particular the timber panelling, dog leg stairs
and fine turned balusters.

No. 6 Smith Square
1726, Grade II*
Ref. 101/63 – TQ3079NW
As with Nos. 1 and 2, a corner terrace house built as part of Sir James Smith’s
original development of the Square.

Nos. 7 to 9 Smith Square
1726, Grade II*
Ref. 101/64 – TQ3079NW
As with Nos. 1 and 2, built as part of Sir James Smith’s original development of
the Square.

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appendicesNo. 34 Smith Square [Thorney House]
1913, Grade II
Ref. 101/80 – TQ3079NW
A corner terraced house of 3 storeys, in a restrained neo-Georgian style. The
central doorway is stone dressed with Ionic pilasters and surmounted by apediment enclosing a cartouche.

No. 36 Smith Square
1911, [Sir] Edward Lutyens, Grade II
Ref. 101/74 – TQ3079NW
A corner terraced house of 3 storeys with a steep dormered mansard roof,
designed in restrained William and Mary/neo-Georgian style.

No. 37 Smith Squarec.1912, Grade II
Ref. 101/69 – TQ3079NW
A terraced house of 3 storeys in a restrained neo-Georgian style, largely rebuilt
after war damage.

Nos. 87, 89 and 91 Tufton Street, 62 and 64
Horseferry Road
1912-13, A.E. Hughes, Grade II
Ref. 106/20, 191/200 – TQ3078NW, TQ3097SW
A former shelter for destitute and poor working boys, the building is
associated with the movement to ‘emigrate’ destitute boys in the
pre-War period.

Bollardsc.1726-28, Grade II
Ref. 101/72 – TQ3079NW
An element of Sir James Smith’s original design for the Square, octagonal
tapered bollards in Portland stone on the pavement boundary around St.
John’s Church.

Lamp Standards
Early to mid C.19th, Grade II
Ref. 101/82 – TQ3079NW
A later addition to Sir James Smith’s design for the Square, 7 No. cast iron gas
lamp standards that are a component of a wider pattern of lamp standards
throughout the area.
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Mid C.19th, Grade II

appendicesLamp Standards, Smith Square

Ref. 101/76 and 101/81 – TQ3079SW
Cast iron gas lamp standards [No. G1] on the corner of Smith Square.

Lambeth Palace
C.12th in origin, with many later additions and alterations, notably by Blore,
C.19th, and Seeley and Paget, 1955. Grade I
Ref. 92/53 and 101/7 – TQ3079NW and SW
The Palace is the private residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, amediaeval complex of domestic buildings and gardens within a walled
enclosure. The original river frontage acted as a defence against floods.
The redundent church of St Mary at Lambeth houses the public Museum of
Garden History.

St Thomas’ Hospital
1868-71, Henry Currey. 1969-76, Yorke Rosenberg & Mardell. Grade I
Ref. 92/53 and 101/7 – TQ3079NW and SW
The present day building comprises 3 pavilions and a chapel in an Italianatestyle in brick, a remnant of the original 7 pavilions built by Henry Currey, andwith a tree lined promenade facing the Palace of Westminster, and a partiallycompleted scheme by Yorke Rosenberg and Mardell. The YRM scheme is of 13
storey white stone blocks adjacent to Currey’s building.

County Hall
1912-33, Ralph Knott. 1939 and 1950-58, LCC Architects Department,
Grade I
Ref. 92/53 and 101/7 – TQ3079NW and SW
Designed by Ralph Knott on a site that faces across the river to the Houses ofParliament, and with later work by LCC architects. The main façade of County
Hall is to the river, a 230m long symmetrical classical composition with agiant colonnaded order featuring in the concave central section and a steeply
sloping, green tiled roof.

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appendices

Statue information is quoted from the book : “London Statues andMonuments” by Margaret Baker 1995, Published by Shire Publications
as follows :Parliament Square Gardens statues :The following three statues are outside the existing World Heritage Siteboundary but within an option for its future expansion. They are in a formalrow (north south) on the west side of Parliament Square Gardens of similar
scale and form with traditionally detailed stone plinths.

1 - “...Benjamin Disraeli - Ist Earl of Beaconsfield (1804 - 81), Conservative
statesman, man of letters, favourite of Victoria. The statue is by Raggi, 1883.
Twice Prime Minister, three times Chancellor of the Exchequer, Disraeli was a
meteoric and colourful figure in nineteenth century politics and organiser of
the Conservative party on modern lines.”

2 - “...The 14th Earl of Derby (1799 - 1869) , a dull but worthy statesman
and with Disraeli, reorganiser of the Tory party, has a statue by Matthew
Noble (1874) with panels showing his inauguration as Chancellor of Oxford
University. Look at the plinth to see what St. Stephen’s Chapel, the meeting
place of the House of Commons before 1834, looked like.”3 - “....A statue of Sir Robert Peel (1788 - 1850) erected in the year after his
death after a fall from a favourite horse on Constitution Hill. The statue is by
Matthew Nobel (1818 - 76)...Peel is chiefly remembered now as founder of themodern police force, whose members were nicknamed ‘Peelers’ or ‘Bobbies’- a name which still sticks today.”

The following three statues of very different styles form a rough east west lineon the north side of the Parliament Square Gardens :4 - “...On the paved walk is Henry Temple, 3rd Viscount of Palmerston (1784- 1865), by Thomas Woolner, a statue erected in 1876. Palmerston personified
Victorian self-confidence at its peak, and although he was accused of‘jingoism’ (warlike patriotism) his bluff, adventurous foreign policy protected
Britain’s interests overseas and built up her prestige....Palmerston kept his
diplomatic wit to the end : on his deathbed he was joking : ‘Die, my deardoctor? That is the last thing I shall do’...”

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statesman Field Marshal Jan Smuts (1870 - 1950) is by Jacob Epstein and is anappendices

5 - “...The exciting though discordant statue of the South African soldier andinteresting example of the sculptor’s work, erected in 1956.

6 - “...On the corner of the square and half-facing the House of Commons
is a statue of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill (1874 - 1965), one of the bestknow statues in London. Churchill was a many-faceted personality but is best
remembered as Britain’s wartime Prime Minister and it is this aspect that Ivor
Robert-Jones expressed in his 12 foot bronze statue, unveiled by Lady Spencer
Churchill in 1973.”

The general political theme of substantial bronze statues on traditional stone
plinths in Parliament Square forming part of the setting of the existing World
Heritage Site boundary is continued in the west as :7 - “...The statue of Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 65), sixteenth President of theUnited States of America, is a copy of the fine statue by Augustus SaintGaudens at Chicago and was presented by the American people in 1920.”

8 - “...Also on the west side in the so-called ‘Canning enclosure’ [or CanningGreen] is a bronze statue of George Canning (1770 - 1827) by Sir Richard
Westmacott, erected in 1832. Canning was Foreign Secretary and after Lord
Liverpool’s death in 1827 George Iv made him Prime Minister and Chancellorof the Exchequer. The cost of erecting the statue (£7,000) was borne by public
subscription and after being placed in [New] Palace Yard in 1832 it was moved
to this site in 1867.”

To the east and south of Parliament Square within the existing World Heritage
Site boundary are the following statues :9 - “...The superb statue of Oliver Cromwell (1599 - 16580 is by Sir William
Hamo Thornycroft and stands outside Westminster Hall. It was erected in 1899and shows Cromwell in uniform, bareheaded with his bible and sword, thus
succinctly reflecting two modern views of him...Even in 1895 Irish membersof Parliament strongly opposed the wish of the Liberal Party to vote £500
towards the erection of this statue and in the end Lord Rosebery, Prime
Minister at the time decided to make a gift of it...”175

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appendices10 - “...At the north end of Old Palace Yard is a magnificent bronze statueof Richard I (Coeur-de-Lion) (1157 - 99), probably England’s most popularmedieval King, by Baron Carlo Marochetti RA (1805 - 68), who came to
England in the Piedmontese Revolution of 1848 and began a large practicewhich owed much of its success to royal patronage. This statue, considered tobe the sculptor’s chef d’oeuvre, in which the king holds his sword aloft, wasput up in 1851 and well expresses Marocheti’s famous flamboyance, whichinflamed the critics...”

Outside the existing World Heritage site boundary (and within the principal
option of an expanded boundary linking the two halves) but forming animportant part of the setting of the Chapter House, Jewell Tower and Houseof Lords is :11 - “...Across the road from Old Palace Yard is the national memorial toGeorge V (1947) by Sir William Reid Dick (at one time President of the Royal
Society of Sculptors and King’s Sculptor in Ordinary) and Sir Giles Gilbert
Scott. It was unveiled by George VI on 22nd October 1947 and is a full length
figure in the uniform of a field marshal with Garter robes and Sword of State.
The scheme for the provision of playing fields throughout the country is in
association with the monument.”

Beyond the existing World Heritage Site but within a possibly expandedboundary to the south are the following statues and features in Abingdon
Gardens and Victoria Tower Gardens :12 - ‘Knife Edge: Two Piece’ by Henry Moore.

At the northern entrance of Victoria Tower Gardens :13 - “...Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst (1858 - 1928), leader of the movement for
women’s suffrage who was frequently arrested and imprisoned for her beliefs,
ahs a statue with a lorgnette by A. G. Walker, erected in 1930 and unveiled by
Stanley Baldwin. Flowers are laid here each year by women who worked forthe suffragette movement. Her daughter Dame Christable Pankhurst (1881- 1958), famous in the same field as her mother, is commemorated by abronze medallion..”176

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the statuary erected in Calais in 1895. The burghers agreed to surrenderappendices14 - “...The Burghers of Calais (1915) by Auguste Rodin, a replica ofthemselves to Edward III in 1340 with halters round their necks to save theirtown...”

15 - “...Further south in the Gardens is the Buxton Memorial Fountain by S. S.
Tuelon, 1865, which commemorates Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton (1786 - 1845),
MP for Weymouth, who fought for the abolition of slavery in the British
dominions and elsewhere and in 1824 became leader of the anti-slavery party.
It was erected by his son Charles Buxton MP in honour of his father’s efforts tofree colonial slaves...”Within the existing World Heritage Site boundary adjacent the West door of
the Abbey is an important memorial :16 - “...A red granite column by [George Gilbert] Scott with sculpture by J. B.
Philip which commemorates the Old Boys of Westminster School who died in
the Crimean War and Indian Mutiny.

On the north west corner of Westminster Bridge, forming an important partof the setting of the existing World Heritage Site boundary and within theoptional expansion of the boundary is a substantial sculpture and plinth often
photographed with Big Ben :17 - “...A great group of the British queen Boadicea in her chariot by Thomas
Thornycroft (1902. Boadicea, who died in AD 62, was described by the Greek
historian Dio Cassius as ‘tall, fine-eyed and tawny haired’.

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wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
appendices

Appendix 2
Bibliography

1947

Westminster Regained

The Architectural Review,

1965

Westminster Relieved

Baker, M

1995

London Statues and Monuments

City of Westminster

undatedDraft Cultural Strategy

City of Westminster

2003

Facts and Figures 2002/2003

Civic Design Partnership

1996

Palace of Westminster, A Better

The Architectural Review,
Vol CII Number 611

Quality of Place, Street Furniture

Cooke, T

Feasibility Study 900 Years. The
Restoration of Westminster Abbey

Cullen, G

1958

Westminster Revisited

DCMS

2001

The Historic Environment: A Force for
our Future

Demetriou, D

2003‘First Month of congestion charge
raise s£9.5 million’ Evening Standard
17 March 2003

English Heritage

undatedChanging London: An historic city fora modern world

English Heritage

1999

Maritime Greenwich, World Heritage
Site Management Plan

Field, J

2002

The Story of Parliament in the Palaceof Westminster. Politico’s

Field, J

2002

Kingdom, Power and Glory.

179

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
appendices

Foreman, S

1995

From Palace to Power, An illustrated
history of Whitehall

Foster and Partners

1998

World Squares for All, Towards
a Masterplan, Ministerial Group
Meeting, Synopsis of Presentation

Foster and Partners

1998

World Squares for All Masterplan

Hall, B & Lewis Jones, D

1993

The Victoria Tower Restored

Harrison, R

1990

Blitz over Westminster

Historic Buildings andWorld Heritage Convention Cultural

Monuments Commission

Properties: UK Nomination. The

for England

Palace of Westminster, Westminster
Abbey and St Margaret’s Church

Historic Royal Palaces

2003

Tower of London World Heritage Site
Management Plan (Draft)

House of Commons,

1998

Parliamentary Elections

1998

The House of Commons

2003

A Brief Chronology of the House of

Education Sheet 1

House of Commons,
Education Sheet 2House of Commons
Information OfficeHouse of Commons

Commons. Fact sheet G3

2004

Information OfficeHouse of CommonsSome Traditions and Customs of theHouse. Fact sheet G7

2003

Information Office

The Palace of Westminster, Fact
Sheet G11

Hunting P

1981

Royal Westminster

London Tourist Board

2002

Towards a Tourism Strategy for
London. Response to Consultation
Questionnaire 2002

180

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

2003

Convention Bureau

Mayor of London

Survey Among Overseas Visitors To
London – Summer 2002

2002

appendicesLondon Tourist Board andSquares Annual Report 2002.
Trafalgar Square & Parliament
Square Garden

Mayor of London

2002

Visit London: The Mayor’s Plan for
Tourism in London

Museum of London

1994

New Palace Yard, Westminster
Palace. Excavations in advance of
the Jubilee Line Extension

Museum of London

1995

Sanctuary House, Tothill
Street, SWI. An Archaeological
Assessment

Museum of London

2000

The Archaeology of Greater
London,Museum of London

2003

Peers’ Court, Palace ofWestminster, London. An
archaeological impact assessment

The Parliamentary Works

1995

Directorate

Palace of Westminster, Old Palace
Yard and Environs, Improving
Design and Coordination of Street
Furniture, Brief for the preparationof a Feasibility Study

Perier-D’leteren, C

1998‘Tourism and Conservation: striking
a balance’ Museum International
v.50 no.4 pp5-14

Pitkin Souvenir Guide

1992

The Houses of Parliament, The
Palace of Westminster

Pond, CC

1993

The Palace of Westminster, Special

181

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN
appendices

Edition of House of Commons PublicInformation Fact Sheet No 48

Tanfield, J

1991

In Parliament 1939-50 The Effectof the War on the Palace ofWestminster, HMSO

Thomas, C, Cowie R, &2004

Sidell, E, J,

The Royal Palace, Abbey, and Town
of Westminster on Thorney Island.
Archaeological excavations (19911998) for the London Underground
Limited Jubilee Line Extension ProjectTransport for London

2002

London Travel Report 2002

Transport for London Street

2003

The Walking Plan for London.

Management

Consultation Draft

Watson, Isabella

1993

Westminster and Pimlico Past

WS Atkins for the City of2000

Proposed River Thames Policy Area,

Westminster

Draft Supplementary Planning
Guidance

182

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appendices

Appendix 3
Stakeholder consultations
Introduction
Consultation has played an essential part in the development of the plan. As afirst step (Round 1), three workshops were held with key stakeholder groups
to identify issues and objectives, focusing on: tourism and the economy;
community and user groups; and the public realm and conservation. English
Heritage on behalf of the Steering Group, invited participants to the meetings.
Plans and illustrations were prepared and each meeting was facilitated by amember of the consultant team, who ensure that each participant was asked
about their views and aspirations for the area. Participants, including thoseunable to attend the workshops, were invited to submit further comments ona specially prepared questionnaire. Detailed notes recorded the discussions.
In addition, consultation meetings were held with a number of individuals withregard to specific issues:

WORKSHOPS
Set out below are the details of each workshop.
Topic

Tourism and economy

Date

17 March 2003

Venue

Cheyneygates, Westminster Abbey, SW1

Attendees :Peter Heath (facilitator) Atkins (consultant team)

Simon Woodward

PLB Consulting Ltd

Paul Gardner

Transport for London Project Manager

Steven Tomlinson

Transport for London

Juliet West

English Heritage

Victor Launert

Palace of Westminster Central Tourist Officer

Canon David Hutt

Westminster Abbey

David Burden

Westminster Abbey

Phil Evans

GLA Tourism Officer

David Tidley

TfL Street Management

Tim Gould

City of Westminster

Rosemarie MacQueen

Westminster City Council

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appendices

Topic 			Community

Date			

18 March 2003, 2pm

Venue

Cheynegates, Westminster Abbey, SWI

Attendees : 		Peter Heath (facilitator) Atkins (consultant team)

Simon Woodward

PLB (consultant team)Graham Tanner

Transport for London

Paul Velluet 		English Heritage

Steven Tomlinson		Transport for London

F Platt 			Westminster Society

Tim Gould 		

City of Westminster

Vince Amers 		

QEII Conference Centre

David Burden 		Westminster Abbey

Paul Smith 		English Heritage/ Jewel Tower

Ceciel DelaRue 		Greater London Authority

Helen Bowes 		

Greater London Authority

Rosemarie MacQueen

Westminster City Council

John Burton 		Westminster Abbey

Janet Miller

Atkins Heritage (Consultant Team)

Topic

184

		

Public Realm and Conservation

Date			

19 March 2003, 6.30pm

Venue			Cheynegates, Westminster Abbey

Attendees : 		Peter Heath (facilitator) Atkins (consultant team)

Simon Woodward

PLB Consulting Ltd

Paul Velluet 		English Heritage

Rosemarie MacQueen

Westminster City Council

Juliet West 		Engish Heritage

Timothy Jones 		English Heritage

Graham King 		Westminster City Council

Gwyn Richards 		

Westminster City Council

Peter MacBride 		Transport for London

Tim Gould 		

City of Westminster

Gerard Phillips

Greater London Authority

Tim Tatton-Brown 		Archaeologist

Steven Brindle 		English Heritage

Robert Whytehead

English Heritage

Steven Tomlinson 		Transport for London

wESTMINSTER wORLD hERITAGE sITE mANAGEMENT pLAN

The complexity of the site led to a great deal of overlap in the topics discussed

appendices

Summary of Workshop Discussion

at each workshop. The main areas of interest and concern are summarised
below under the broad topic headings.

Tourism and economy
The benefits and disbenefits of tourism to the WHS
The principal roles of the Abbey and Westminster Palace are not as tourist
attractions. However, all agreed that it is important to welcome visitors andthere is a need to balance their interests with the purposes of the institutionsof the Westminster WHS. Visitors provide a great deal of income towards
upkeep and increased tourism may boost the local economy, althoughcurrently most tourist spend is confined to within the WHS itself, particularly
within the Abbey, Palace and Jewel Tower souvenir outlets and the specialist
Parliamentary bookshop. It was recognised that large numbers of tourists andvisitors may also lead to pollution, disturbance, and congestion and particularly
to a loss of tranquillity to the Abbey.

Rosemary MacQueen of Westminster City Council explained that WCC has
recently begun to address tourism more actively with a view to achieving
sustainable tourism, optimising rather than increasing the number of visitors
and focussing on four questions:1.

Where does the spend actually occur?

2.

What services and facilities such as lunch/ toilets/ signage etc. are
there for tourists?

3.

What is the relationship between the major strategic traffic networkand tourist safety? Fatalities have already occurred within the WHS asa result of traffic

4.

What is the impact of tourism on the residential population?
Residents are already feeling the pressure and are concerned about
a possible pedestrianisation of Parliament Square leading to thererouting of traffic through residential zones.

Intellectual access and orientation
The tourism experts and a number of respondents observed that despite
the importance and magnificence of the buildings, there is little in the wayof orientation and interpretation for visitors, in order help them understandthe history and nature of the site and to plan their visit. In particular, there

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appendicesis nothing to indicate the status of the site as a WHS and the significance of
this. Some attendees believed that there was a lack of ‘unity of experience’for visitors which meant that tourists and others could not appreciate
the ways in which the histories of the Palace and Abbey were completelyintertwined. Although the proposal for a visitor centre in Westminster Palace
was welcomed, there was some concern that this might further the current
discontinuity in the approach to interpretation throughout the whole of the
WHS. The idea of a passport or dual-ticketing approach to admissions to the
Palace and Abbey was raised, similar to the system at Ironbridge and Stratford.
The problem is that while Ironbridge is all run by the same organisation, theWestminster WHS houses a number of institutions, each with its own needs
and priorities.

Some participants recommended that there should be increased provisionof signage and interpretations boards and this might reduce some of thecosts currently expended on wardens who provide assistance and guidancearound the site. Others feared this would introduce clutter and they valued thevergers, wardens and other guides who comprise the ‘people-centred’ natureof visitor assistance. The Abbey is particularly proud that everyone working
there belongs to the Abbey community and the public seem to appreciate this.

An escorted time tour is the only way to tour the Palace but this has alreadysold 30,000 tickets in pre-booking.

The possibility of a series of local leaflets on topics such as Statues andMonuments was discussed, as was the question of whether the WHS shouldhave a ‘brand’. Some agreed that the WHS logo could be used more aroundthe site. There are a number of empty walls and big spaces within Westminster
Underground Station which might be used for display and orientation for the
WHS. There is an unused retail outlet in Westminster Underground Station
which might be good as a location for ticketing and this might avoid heavy
queuing at the Houses of Parliament.

All agreed that the Jewel Tower is a hugely understated attraction. It is aremarkable piece of surviving fabric of Old Westminster and the exhibition in
Tower is the only feature illustrating the history and meaning of Westminster
as a whole, yet it is not well publicised and tends not to feature on trails andmaps. There is limited scope for increasing visitor numbers however, becauseof the nature of the space.

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summer months

appendicesSome attendees would like to see Westminster Hall open to the public in the

Other facilities for tourists
The buildings are all iconic. But once the photographs have been taken
there remains the question – what do I do now? Unlike many other London‘attractions’ there are relatively few facilities, such as restaurants, cafes andshops, in the area. While the office workers and others are well-catered for,from 5pm, or when Parliament is in recess, the area is very quiet. Even the
public lavatories are not well sign-posted. Some of the food kiosks around thesite are operating without permission and, it might be argued, do not enhance
the historic character of the area. A number of suggestions were made foralternative sites for places to eat and drink, such as Victoria Tower Gardens
and the benefits and impacts of introducing more of a café culture close to thesite. Both the Palace and Abbey are limited in their scope for expanding theircatering facilities. The Abbey provides chairs in Poets’ Corner and coffee in the
North cloister but there is an important need to remember that the Abbey isprincipally for prayer.

The Palace would like to expand the range of people who visit the Houses ofParliament but neither the Lords nor Commons like people queuing outside on
the pavement. An area is needed to accommodate this. It was also suggested
that the WHS should be seen as part of a tourist trail walking route and visitors
thus might be guided towards the Parks area after their visit to the WHS.
This would fit in with the Mayor’s aspiration to develop London as one of theworld’s great walking cities.

Although the particular challenges of historic buildings were recognised, anumber of respondents noted that provision for disabled people could be
improved in many parts of the site.

The economy of the area
The WHS needs to be seen in the context of the economy of the area. There
are few prominent hotels featured in the area that might keep tourists within
the Westminster area. Retail outlets also seem to find it difficult in the area.
There are two shops for rent on the northern side of Victoria Street near
Barclays Bank but these have never been occupied. This is an indication of thecommercial vibrancy of the area.

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appendices

There was some concern that the WHS Management plans may have acommercial impact on the QEII Centre, such as by restricting physical accessto the conference centre. The activities at the Centre require that exhibitionand event related equipment needs to be delivered by large vehicles. The
conference centre is used every day and hosts events on most days. It has acapacity of 3,500 to 4,000 people with the Central Methodist Hall having acapacity of 2,000. The majority of delegates arrive by public transport. The
combined capacity of the QEII Centre and Central Hall and is approximately
6,000. Thus at peak times there have been many pedestrian and traffic
conflicts at Victoria Street and this has resulted in the occasional accident.

Community
Residents
It is important to remember that parts of the WHS are lived in. South of
the Abbey, adjacent to the WHS boundary, the area is residential and quiet
and is not knitted into WHS. That is part of its charm, it is an enclave andwould wish to remain so. There are other residential areas very close by such
as Marsham Street and parts of Whitehall buildings, which are becoming
residential as the office spaces become redundant. The residential college isalso very unusual in this context and the residential nature of parts of site andimmediate surroundings is important and should be valued.

It is important therefore to consider how the heritage of the WHS benefits
people and how residents’ concerns and needs will be reflected in the WHS
plan. There was discussion as to whether interpretation and other facilities
have a particular relevance for residents, as well as visitors and ideally local
schools should have opportunities to benefit from the WHS. The residents
also have other requirements. It is important to maintain and improve bus
transportation. Residents could support retail/economic activity but they are
nervous about restaurant and cafes as the smells and late night activity can be
unpleasant.

While many would like to ensure that residents are not inconvenienced by
tourists, much conflict often arises, not between residents and tourists but
rather than between workers and tourist. But in fact the biggest conflictis between tourists and traffic and some residents feel that no significant
improvements can be made until that is seriously addressed. However it wasrecognised that this may lead to problems with displaced congestion from theclosing of major routes through the WHS.

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estimated. At evenings and weekends it is a very quiet place. But it is at theseappendices

On the other hand, the difficulties of living within the WHS should not be overtimes that there is ‘nothing open’ for residents in the immediate area. Most of
the principal buildings have in-house facilities for staff e.g food etc. There is
no shortage for office workers but it is a desert for residents.
The Westminster Society is not a residents’ society but an amenity society forthe built heritage for the whole of the old town of Westminster. It is statutory
consultee on planning applications but is also an umbrella society which has
contacts with other parties.

Public Realm and Conservation
Parliament Square
There was general discussion of this issue. The square is often used as a focus
for protest groups and demonstrations reflecting the nature of Westminster
Palace which has an international role as the seat of democracy and dissent.
There was some debate as to whether public demonstrations here had a long
history. The demonstrations do not cause too much difficulty for the Abbey.
But it was generally felt that there is conflict between the need to provide
a spacious area for tourists and visitors, while ensuring that demonstrations
and protestor activity here is not encouraged. The Mayor wishes to see
Trafalgar Square as the place for mass gatherings instead of Parliament Squareand the police are uneasy with large gatherings in front of the Palace. It
was suggested that any improvement or development here could include afountain to discourage mass gatherings. The GLA would like to see the Square
as a dignified area, as the key information point and viewing area, from whichmonuments in the WHS could be seen, and to co-ordinate it with other tourist
sites. The Mayor developed a vision for Parliament Square which includes thesetting of policies and a management plan which will focus on maintaining adignified setting for the WHS. The Square also has relevance for the Mayor’splans for tourism and World Squares. Filming and promotional events are to beallowed in the policy but public demonstrations will not, despite the pressure
to allow them.
The character of the area now relies heavily on ‘green areas’. This is relatively
new in some areas. Parliament Square, although modern, is designated as
an important open space. The surface of Parliament Square was not always
soft and consideration might be given to laying a hard surface, particularly if
the Mayor’s plans for the square increase the pedestrian traffic. However any
changes may impact on its current character, the maintenance requirements
and noise levels need to be considered. Currently the surface and therefore

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appendicescharacter contrasts well with the hard surface of Trafalgar Square and grass
improvement should be considered

The GLA is responsible for Parliament Square Garden although Westminster
City Council also has some jurisdiction. Therefore the GLA are keen to know
the impact of the WHS Management Plan on Parliament Square and the GLA’s
desire to propose it as an open space, promoting the ecology and as a tourist
information site.

Spaces and setting
There was some desire to resolve the discontinuity of the areas within the
WHS and the current character of the site as a disparate series of elements.
There was some feeling that the spaces in the area had not been managed as
thoughtfully as the buildings and that spaces which make up the WHS needto linked together again, so that the site should be seen as a whole. This
would recapture the qualities of the area which existed until the interventionsof the 19th century. Access to Abbey should be enhanced, to make it morearchitecturally satisfying and to re-establish the links between buildings. It was
felt that with modest measures it was possible to create and recover places
and spaces which are desirable to visitor, which are dignified and calming, butwhich somehow integrate with the livelier activity outside. The setting andenvironment of Notre Dame or Montmartre were suggested as benchmarks forWestminster – a place to linger. The lighting of key buildings was discussed.
Westminster CC has produced booklet called ‘Lighting up the City’ and there
is an EH policy document currently being prepared on the issues of illuminationof buildings in London.

A number of particular issues regarding the public realm were highlighted:•

The Sanctuary at the west end of the Abbey does not provide
a suitable setting for the church and the approach to the northentrance also requires enhancement.

•

The link between St Stephens Entrance to Houses of Parliament andthe Abbey also needs to be re-established. As Westminster Hall isa venue for great state occasions, there needs to be clearer links
between that building and the Abbey.

•

Improvements to Mason’s Yard are being considered by the Abbey.
Any changes to items which are listed eg railings and layout would
need to incorporate a balance between conservation and justification
for change and re-establishing links betweens buildings

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There is conflict between coaches, cars and car parking in the
Sanctuary and this detracts from setting and view of the Abbey for

appendices•

all visitors. The practical issues of users eg taxis and coaches and theneed for efficiency should be addressed. There was a feeling thatunless this is resolved, visitor numbers may fall•

Monuments and public art outside of the Abbey has been erectedwithout much thought. There was discussion as to whether the Cityof Westminster’s Public Art Strategy sets guidelines for promoting
or rejecting work of art. The Strategy looked at grouping memorials
strategy, but didn’t take on board the political lobbying it would
generate. There has been pressure to have more public art since thestrategy was commissioned. There are proposals for 2 new statues– Lloyd George and one representative of the suffragette movement.
The Burghers of Calais are also going to an exhibition at the Hayward
Gallery for a year.

•

The area often suffers from demonstration or even energetic violence
and is subject to helicopter disruption. A disagreeable level ofbackground noise interrupts the calm of the abbey andevening song.

•

Ownership issues make the management of the World Heritage Sitequite complicated•

The London Planes trees are all very close in age and their health will
eventually decline at the same time.

Boundaries and Buffer Zone to the WHS
Many felt that the division of the WHS into two separate areas was
unsatisfactory. A revision of the boundary might also include new buildings
and encompass underground archaeology. The question of whether Buffer
Zone for the WHS should be established was discussed and all agreed that thisshould be addressed in the Management Plan. The importance of the River
Thames to the setting of the buildings was highlighted and it was agreed thatit should be addressed along with the consideration of the buffer zone.

Traffic and transport
There is a particular clash between pedestrians and traffic. The visitor
experience to the site would benefit, in particular, from better crossing points
from Westminster underground station and access on and off the grassed area

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appendicesof Parliament Square, from which photographs of ‘Big Ben’ and Westminster
Abbey are often taken.

Many attendees were keen to see the Management Plan adopt a sustainabletransport policy, promoting public transport wherever possible, although somenoted that the increase in buses running close to Old Palace Yard had notbeen welcomed. But Westminster Palace would welcome a decision to confine
traffic here to public transport only, because of concerns regarding security.
The need for better coach-parking provision was highlighted. Currently, coachparties only stay in the site for a short time, in order to accommodate the poorcoach facilities. Other participants however would like to encourage coachparties to expect a short walk from a drop-off point to the WHS and that thedrop-off and pick-up points may need to differ. Some felt that a reduction of
traffic on Bridge Street and St Margaret Street would improve the area but
it was pointed out that TfL would be unlikely to consider the closure of theroads in Parliament Square completely.

Security
The nature of the Houses of Parliament mean that security issues and theneed for emergency planning have a force behind them which can be difficult
to manage and reconcile with the historic environment. The long-standing
arrangement of temporary barriers to contain protests and the large concrete
blocks which now appear to be at least semi-permanent do not enhance thebuildings and setting. It was hoped that the Management Plan could help inreconciling the needs of security, conservation and the visitor experience

Conservation
It was generally agreed that a Conservation-based future for the site isnecessary. Restoration work at the Abbey and Palace has been exemplarily.
Condition surveys are undertaken regularly and it was hoped that the
preparation of Conservation plans could form part of the management
approach, not least to ensure that informal interventions, such as utilities
installation and maintenance, do not have a negative effect. It was agreed that
all interventions should consider the impact on buried archaeological remains
as well as the upstanding historic fabric.

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appendicesWestminster School plans to review its historic buildings and their management.

Paul Smith pointed out that summer ticketing facilities for the Palace ofWestminster has an impact on the setting of the Jewel Tower and this needs
to be addressed although the ticketing booth does attract visitors to the Jewel
Tower. (The ticketing tent at Buckingham Palace could be used a benchmark
in terms of the quality of its design). It would be desirable for the Jewel Tower
to be illuminated at night. The Plan will need to ensure that access for delivery
vehicles for the Jewel Tower and other buildings is maintained, if traffic is tobe limited.

The intangible heritage
The importance of the history of the site and the institutions which havedevelopment in it was highlighted.

Other consultations:
Metropolitan Police Representative

The following points were made•The only significant crime is pickpocket and opportunist theftwith crowds.

•

There is relatively little antisocial behaviour, begging or vagrancy inthe area, owing to the lack of evening visitors and cash machines.

•

There is a need for powers to deal with oversized protests andassociated clutter.

•

Security concerns are significant around the Palace and for state and
VIP uses of the Abbey and St. Margaret’s Church.

•

There is general support for World Squares for All Masterplan
proposals to improve links to the island of Parliament Square asa means of improving pedestrian safety and routing (away fromfrontage of Palace).

•

There is general support for further traffic restriction on St. Margaret
Street as means of reducing vehicle terrorist risks.

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appendicesRoyal Parks Representative
A study of Victoria Tower Gardens has been undertaken on behalf of the Royal
Parks Agency. The general scope of the study is as follows :•Improvement of soft and hard landscape layout and materials.

•

Consideration of uses and possible improvements by provision ofrefreshment facilities.

•

Consideration of statues and implications of relocation proposals for
the Burghers of Calais.

•

Consideration of existing entrances•

Consideration of the retention and improvement of lawned areas.

•

Consideration of day and night time character.

•

Consideration of information provision.

•

Consideration of integration with English Heritage and the GLA’s
Architecture and urbanism Unit’s study of Embankment Gardens inWestminster.

Thorney Island Society Representatives

The following points were made:•There is a desire to see traffic intrusion reduced generally.

•

There is general support for proposals of the World Squares for All
Masterplan (linking island to Abbey etc.).

•

There is a desire to see further interpretation information andenhanced appreciation of historical connections (recent involvement
in a new blue plaque for Sassoon).

•

There is a desire to see the dignity of the spaces generally maintained
rather than over-intensified with public gatherings etc.

194•

There is a desire to retain and enhance the soft landscape.

•A test to see a significantly enlarged WHS designation area.

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appendices

Appendix 4
Glossary

This glossary provides definitions for architectural and parliamentaryterms and some ecclesiastical, heritage management or public realm
technical descriptions.

Act of Settlement 1701

The Act which decided the succession to Queen
Anne. All the strongest claimants by blood wereRoman Catholic who were not allowed to inherit.
The act decided that on Anne’s death, the throne
should pass to the ruler of the German state ofHanover, who was descended from James I. On
the death of Anne in 1714, George of Hanovercame to the throne as George I.

Aye and No Lobbies

When there is a formal vote, or division, in theHouse of Commons, MPs leave their seats andwalk into whichever division lobby corresponds tothe way they want to vote: the Aye Lobby on theright of the Speaker, or the No Lobby on the leftof the Speaker

Ambulatory

Walkway typically at the east end of a church,
usually arcaded, sometimes enclosing the apse.

Apse

Semi circular or polygonal space at the end of ahall or chapel, usually referring to the east end ofa church or chancel.

Back Bencher

A Member of Parliament who holds no official
position in government or in his or her party. Backbenchers sit on the back benches in the Chamber.

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appendicesBi-cameral system

Literally ‘two chamber’. The parliamentary systemof two legislative chambers.The British bi-cameralconsists of the House of Lords and the House ofCommons.

Bill

A proposal for a new law which is debated by
Parliament. A Bill becomes an Act when it hasreceived the Royal Assent.

Bill of Rights 1689

The declaration of Rights presented by theHouse of Commons to William and Mary inwhich Parliament aimed to reduce the rightsof the Monarch and increase its own authority.
The Bill made illegal the suspension of laws by
Royal authority without Parliament’s consent; thepower to dispense with laws; the establishmentof special courts of law; levying money by Royal
prerogative without Parliament’s consent; and astanding army in peacetime without Parliament’s
consent. It also asserted a right to petition thesovereign, freedom of parliamentary elections,
freedom of speech in parliamentary debates, andthe necessity of frequent parliaments.

Black RodThe Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod who issent to the House of Commons to summon MPs
to the House of Lords to hear the Queen’s Speechat the State Opening of Parliament. The traditionis that as he reaches the chamber of the Houseof Commons, the door is slammed in his face.
He then knocks three times on the door with theblack rod that he carries before being admitted.
Black Rod is responsible for accommodation,
security and services in the House of Lords

Boss

An ornamental, carved, timber or stone coveringto the junction of ribs in a vaulted roof.

BracesAn element of roof structure. A diagonal timberconnecting and strengthening two other timbers.

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The decorative headstone of a classical column
or pilaster.

Chancelappendices

CapitalThe east end of a church where the main altar islocated. See also presbytery.

Chantry

A small chapel in which masses were sung in predissolution churches, usually for the person who
had endowed the chapel.

Church of England

The established Church in England. The Churchof England was founded by King Henry VIII andbecame subject to the English Crown control
rather than the control of the Pope. The Monarch
is still the head of the Church of England andeven now the Church cannot make its own rules
without parliamentary approval.

Civil War

Fought in England between the supporters ofKing Charles I and supporters of Parliament, led
by Oliver Cromwell. Lasting for seven years, anumber of major battles were fought. In 1645,
on June 14th, the Parliamentary side won at thebattle of Naseby and the king’s side was finallybeaten at the Battle of Preston. The King was put
on trial for treason and executed in 1649.

Clerestory[Clearstory] The upper level of arcading of themain walls of a church, pierced by windows.

Constitution

In Great Britain the Constitution is the wholebody of public law, customary as well as
statutory, which is continually being modified bycustom, judgement in the courts as well as by theelected representatives of the country.
Whilst it is not written down as a single
document, in contrast to other countries, it isconsidered to be a strong constitution.

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appendices

Court of Appeal

The Court of Appeal deals with applications to
re-examine the decision made by a lower court. It
is presided over by the Master of the Rolls, and ispart of the Supreme Court of Judicature.

Collar BeamAn element of roof structure. A horizontal timberconnecting the upper parts of two rafters.

Cosmati

Decorative inlay work in marble using coloured
stones, mosaic, glass, gilding etc. Usually applied
to floors in English churches. Commonly used in
the 12th and 13th centuries in Italy.

Dissolution

The common term for the dissolution of themonasteries under Henry VIII. Dissolution is also
the official term for the end of a Parliament.
Parliament is dissolved by Royal Proclamation.

Division

The House of Commons votes by dividing,walking through the division lobby. The Speaker
calls for a vote by announcing “Clear the
Lobbies”. Division Bells ring throughout thebuilding and the police direct all Strangers toleave the vicinity of the Members’ Lobby. MPs
have eight minutes to get to the Division Lobby
before the doors are closed. In each lobby Clerks
tick Members’ names off division lists as they
pass through. Members make their way to the
Chamber, where Whips are on hand to remindthe uncertain which way, if any, their party isvoting

DorterMonks’ sleeping quarters in a monastery.

Eyot

Early English term for ‘island’.

Glorious Revolution

The peaceful way in which Parliament asserted
its rights over the monarchy in 1688 following
James II attempts to repeal the Test Acts (which
precluded Catholics from holding office) and his

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penal laws. Parliament, the Bishops and theappendices

Declaration of Indulgence suspending religious

populace protested and William of Orange, theProtestant son-in-law of James, was requested
to intervene to save the Church and State.
Following James II escape to France, William andMary assumed the throne. The new parliamentissued the Declaration of Rights, which waslater embodied in the Bill of Rights passed by
Parliament in December 1689.

Great Reform Act 1832

Parliamentary Reform which increased thenumber of people who had the right to vote.
The Act abolished a great number of ‘rotten’ and‘pocket’ boroughs and gave seats in the House ofCommons to counties and towns. The franchise
was extended to holders of houses worth £10 per
year and many more lease holders and tenants ofland.

FinialA decorative embellishment, usually at a pinnacle
or the peak of the apex of a gable.

FraterMonastery dining hall, also called refectory.

Galillee Porch

Porch [or small chapel] located at the west end ofa church.

Hammer Beam [roof]

An elaborate type of roof structure, peculiar to
English architecture and most commonly used inlate Gothic and Tudor buildings.

InfirmaryThe hospital accommodation of a monastery.

LierneA tertiary vault rib. That is, one that does not
spring from the main springing point or thecentral boss.

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appendices

ListedIdentified by English Heritage as a building ofarchitectural or historic significance, rated I, II*
or II.

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament (MP) is elected by(MP)

a particular area or constituency in Britain torepresent them in the House of Commons. MPs
divide their time between their constituency andthe Houses of Parliament in London. An MP can
ask Government Ministers questions, speak about
issues in the House of Commons and consider
and propose new laws. There are 659 MPs.

Ogee

An ‘S’ shaped or inverted ‘S’ shaped line.

Oratory

A small private chapel of the Oratorian order of St
Filippo Nero.

Parliament Act 1911

An act limiting the power of the House ofLords, allowing Bills that had been passed by
the Commons in three successive sessions, but
rejected by the Lords in all three, to become Law.
It reduced the life of a Parliament to five years.

Parliament Act 1949

An act to reduce the powers that the House ofLords had to delay a Bill from becoming law if theHouse of Commons approved it. Since 1911 theHouse of Lords had been able to delay legislation
for two years. The 1949 Act reduced this to one
year

Petition

A formal written request from one or more
people to the Sovereign or Parliament. Tradition
requires that a petition must be hand-written andmust begin with the words, “To the honourable,
the Commons of the United Kingdom in
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to make their feelings known about issues thatappendiceshistory as members of the public have used themconcern them.

PilasterA flat fronted column set against a wall, usuallyengaged with the wall.

Prebendary

Strictly, a clergyman or chaplain who receives a
stipend [or prebend] from a collegiate church
or a cathedral in return for duties. Also used forthe house or office he was granted. Canons ofWestminster were known as Prebendaries until
1840.

Precinct

The area immediately under the control of achurch authority.

Presbytery

That part of a church to the east of the choir andthe location of the High Altar.

Privy

Used or owned privately. Sometimes used to referto the King’s private residential area in a palace.

Pulpitum

Pulpit.

Quadrennial[Inspection]

A regime of 4-yearly inspection of [secular] historicbuildings, usually in reference to Government
owned property.

Quadrefoil

Tracery. A quadpartite group of leaf shaped lobes
formed by cusping a circle or an arch.

Queen’s Speech

The Queen reads the Queen’s Speech at theState Opening of Parliament. Although today theGovernment prepares the Queen’s speech, it isa reminder of times when the monarch actuallychose the legislation to be debated in Parliament.
Today, the speech details the Bills and policies that
the Government will introduce in the next session.

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appendices

Question Time

Question Time is an opportunity for MPs
and Members of the House of Lords to ask
Government Ministers questions. These questions
are asked in the Chamber itself and are known
as Oral Questions. Members may also put down
Written Questions. In the House of Commons,
Question Time takes place for an hour on
Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
after Prayers. In the House of Lords up to fourquestions may be asked of the Government at
the beginning of each day’s business. Questions
in both Houses must be written down in advanceand put on the agenda and both Houses havemethods for selecting the questions that will
be asked.

Quinquennial[Inspection]

A regime of 5-yearly inspection of historic[usually] churches.

Reredorter

Monks’ latrines in a monastery, usually behindthe dorter.

Reredos’Behind the back’. An ornamental screen covering
the wall behind and above the altar.

Representation of theAn act which gave the vote to men over 21 andPeople Act 1918

women over 30. The Act also ensured that all
voting in a General Election was to take place ona single day as opposed to over several weeks as
it had been previously.
It also introduced a deposit of £150 that was lost
if a candidate failed to gain one eighth of thevotes cast. Seats were also redistributed to create
more uniform constituencies, averaging about
70,000 voters, returning one member eachRespond [bases]

A half pier bonded to a wall, usually the end ofan arcade.

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In medieval roof vaulting, the brick or stonearches on the groins or surface of the vault thatappendicesRib

support thin webs of masonry.

Sanctuary

A church or its precincts where by medieval
ecclesiastical law, a fugitive could claim refuge
from secular justice.

SettA brick sized squared [usually granite] paviour. As
opposed to a cobble stone, which is rounded.

Spandrel

The quasi-triangular flat area between two curved
arches and a line drawn between their apexes.

Speaker

An MP who has been elected to act as Chairman
during debates in the House of Commons andwho is responsible for ensuring that the rules
laid down by the House are observed, maintains
order in the House and acts as the House’s
representative in its relations with outside bodies.
The Speaker is also responsible for protecting theinterests of minorities in the House. The Speakermust be impartial in all matters. He or she iselected by MPs in the House of Commons but
then ceases to be involved in party politics.

Stages of Legislation

Legislation goes through a number of stages
before it becomes law. These are the same in bothHouses. Bills (other than Money Bills) may begin
in either the House of Commons or the House ofLords. They go through the following stages ineach House, though with important procedural
differences in both Houses: First Reading, Second
Reading, Committee Stage, Report Stage, Third
Reading. Once the Bill has completed these stages

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appendicesin one of the Houses, the process is repeated in
the other. After this any amendments from thesecond House are considered by the first. Whenboth Houses agree on a Bill then it is presented to
the Queen for Royal Assent

State Opening of

The State Opening of Parliament takes place

Parliament

after a General Election and at the beginningof each new session of Parliament. The Queen
enters the Palace of Westminster by her own
route, the Sovereign’s Entrance, which is under
the Victoria Tower. From there she goes into
the Royal Robing Room where she puts on her
Crown and ceremonial robes. She then processes
through the Royal Gallery to take her place on
the Throne in the House of Lords. The chamber
is full and all of the Lords present wear their
Parliamentary robes. Black Rod is sent to theHouse of Commons to summon MPs to the Lords.
When Black Rod arrives at the entrance to the
Commons Chamber the door is always slammedin his face, and he has to knock three times on
the door before he is admitted - a tradition thatsymbolises the right of the Commons to debate
without interference. MPs then process into theHouse of Lords but remain behind the bar of theHouse. The Lord Chancellor hands the speech to
the Queen who then reads it out.

Terracotta

Fired clay, moulded masonry product used for wall
facing or architectural embellishment. Revived
in England in the 19th century, particularly by
Waterhouse.

Tracery

Ornamental interesting work, usually stone, in theupper part of a window, screen or panel. Usuallyrefers to arched Gothic windows.

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The north and south transverse arms of a
cruciform church plan.

TrefoilappendicesTransepts

Tracery. A tripartite group of leaf shaped lobes
formed by cusping a circle or an arch.

Triforium

An arcaded wall facing into the nave of a church,
above the Arcade and below the clerestory.

Vaulting

Continuous and self supporting arched brick orstone roof structure over a building.

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