The Great Hall was built by William II between 1097-1099 in an attempt to impress his subjects. It originally housed both chambers of parilament (commons and lords) and personal rooms for the royals, but in the 1500's the royals moved into a new palace. The hall or palace (Westminster Palace) was gutted and redesigned multiple times, with the new palace being built between 1840 and 1870, with only the Great Hall remaining from the original building. A fire destroyed most of the original palace in 1834 which is why it was rebuilt. During these repairs is when Big Ben was added to the building. The building has been subject to many protest and terror attacks such as a 9kg bomb which was planted by the IRA in 1974. In Brick Lane, the Houses of parliament are the only tourist sight Chanu has seen in England after thirty years of living in London.
Quote: "Thirty or so years after he arrived in London, Chanu decided that it was time to see the sights. 'All I saw was the Houses of Parliament. And that was in 1979.'" ch14
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