Buckingham Palace has served as the official London residence of Britain's sovereigns since It evolved from a town house that was owned from the beginning of the eighteenth century by the Dukes of Buckingham. Today it is The Queen's official residence. The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace are open to visit for 2 months during the summer.

* The name "Big Ben" is generally known to describe the clock tower as a whole. However, "Big Ben" is actually the principal bell within the tower. * There are two theories of how the bell got its name. The first suggests that it was taken from the nickname of a champion heavyweight boxer of the time called Ben Caunt. The second and more probable explanation, is that it was named after the bulky Welshman Sir Benjamin Hall, who was First Commissioner of Works from 1855 to 1858 and whose name was inscribed on the bell. * The Clock Tower is 96.3m (316 ft) tall and the Bell weighs 13.8 tonnes. From the ground floor there are 292 steps to the clock room, 334 steps to the belfrey and 393 steps to the lantern (known as the Ayrton Light) * A light shines above the clock face whenever Parliament is at work after dark. * Big Ben is not open to the public.

* The Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster, which is almost always referred to as Westminster Abbey, is a mainly Gothic church, on the scale of a cathedral. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs.It is still used today for regular worship and for the celebration of great events in the country.

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since At the Tower Bridge Exhibition you can enjoy views from the high-level Walkways and learn about the history of the Bridge and how it was built. You can then visit the Victorian Engine Rooms, home to the original steam engines that used to power the Bridge lifts.