One Building, Separate Tours
The Palace of Westminster is a single large complex that includes the House of Commons, the House of Lords, Westminster Hall and the Elizabeth Tower. They are all part of the same building, connected by corridors and courtyards. When people refer to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben as if they are different places, they are really talking about different parts of one structure.
However, visiting them involves entirely separate processes. The Houses of Parliament tour takes you through the chambers, lobbies and historic halls of the palace. It does not include the Elizabeth Tower. To climb the tower, you need to arrange a separate visit through your MP, and the tours are only available to UK residents.
What Big Ben Actually Is
Strictly speaking, Big Ben is the name of the largest bell inside the Elizabeth Tower, not the tower itself. The bell weighs 13.5 tonnes and has been striking the hours since 1859. Its deep, resonant tone is one of the most recognisable sounds in the world, broadcast by the BBC as a time signal for decades.
The tower was originally known simply as the Clock Tower. It was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in 2012 to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee. Despite the official change, almost everyone still calls it Big Ben, and the name is now used interchangeably for the bell, the clock and the tower.
The Clock Faces
The four clock faces are each 7 metres in diameter, making them among the largest in Britain. The minute hands are 4.3 metres long, and the hour hands are 2.7 metres long. The clock mechanism is remarkably accurate, and its timekeeping is adjusted by adding or removing old penny coins from the pendulum.
Why the Tours Are Separate
The Elizabeth Tower is accessed through a narrow spiral staircase of 334 steps with no lift. The climb is physically demanding and the space is confined, which limits the number of visitors and makes it impractical to include as part of a general Parliament tour. For safety and security reasons, tours of the tower are restricted to UK residents who book through their constituency MP or a member of the House of Lords.
This restriction means that international visitors cannot climb the tower. They can, however, see the clock faces and hear the bell from outside, and the Parliament tour passes close to the base of the tower within the palace complex.
The Relationship Between Tower and Palace
The Elizabeth Tower stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster, overlooking Westminster Bridge and the Thames. It was designed by Augustus Pugin as part of Charles Barry's rebuilding of the palace after the 1834 fire. The tower is in the same Gothic Revival style as the rest of the building, with intricate stone carvings and ironwork.
The tower's position at the corner of the palace makes it visible from many parts of central London and it has become the most recognisable symbol of Parliament and of London itself. Photographs of the tower are used worldwide as shorthand for Britain, British politics and London as a destination.
Seeing Both
While you cannot combine the two tours, it is possible to visit Parliament and see the Elizabeth Tower on the same day. The exterior of the tower is best appreciated from Westminster Bridge or from the South Bank of the Thames. The Parliament tour will give you an understanding of what happens inside the palace that the tower is attached to, and together they provide a complete picture of this remarkable building. For details on booking and what the tour covers, see our guide on how to visit the Houses of Parliament.
