Victoria Tower is the tallest tower in London's Palace of Westminster, standing at 323 feet or 98.45 meters, two meters taller than the world-famous Big Ben. At the time of the final construction (second half of the 19th century), it became the highest square structure in the world. The Victoria Tower is located in the southwest corner of the British Parliament House. The building was erected in the New Gothic (Neo-Gothic) style by the English architect Charles Barry.
Empress of India and Queen of Great Britain
Victoria, in honor of which the largest number of architectural buildings were erected, outwardly did not make much impression: she had a plump physique and was no higher than one hundred and fifty centimeters. In the first years after the death of her husband Albert, she was not as famous in Britain as after the publication of her letters and some diary entries, thanks to which the world learned about the extent of her political influence.
In the second half of the 19th century, she was popularly loved because she embodied the empire in a matriarchal form. Various memorials around the world are named after her.places, memorials and towers. Victoria laid the foundation stone for the future southwest building of the Palace of Westminster, which was completed by 1860.
Construction history
King's Tower - this was the name of the future archive building during its design. The supporting structure was built of cast iron, after which the builders walled it up in masonry. The Victoria Tower consists of fourteen floors, twelve of which are occupied by two million archival documents of the British Parliament. Between 1948 and 1963 and between 2000 and 2004, the keeper of political history underwent grand renovations to improve storage conditions in the archives.
The structure of the tower (both external and external) is fire resistant. In 1834, during a fire that broke out in the Palace of Westminster, all the securities of the House of Commons were destroyed, while the documents belonging to the House of Lords were not damaged due to the fact that they were stored in the Tower of Jewels (located on the territory of the Palace of Westminster). It was this event that prompted the government to build a fireproof archive room. The top of the tower is made in a pyramidal shape, on which a flagpole is located. Its height is 20 meters.
Purpose
The main function of the tower is to store documents of Parliament. The length of the racks containing various securities is nine kilometers! TowerVictoria keeps within its cast-iron walls government acts, manuscripts, the Bill of Rights and death sentences that have been handed down since the fifteenth century.
The building has a special entrance (its name is the "Royal Entrance"), through which the royals pass on the days of the opening ceremonies of government meetings or other equally important state events. The entrance is made in the form of an arch, which is richly decorated with a sculptural group. During the stay of the king in the palace (recall that at the moment there is only a queen in Britain), the Victoria Tower in London is crowned with the official flag of the current ruler. On ordinary days, the flag of the United Kingdom flies on the flagpole.
Palace of Westminster
This building is known worldwide as the seat of the British Parliament. The Victoria Tower Gardens is located on the territory of the Palace of Westminster, which was named after the tallest building of the British Parliament.
After a fire in 1834, which destroyed almost all the buildings, a competition was held among architects to restore the damaged buildings. As a result, Charles Barry and his assistant were chosen, who over 30 years successfully rebuilt the palace, including the Queen Victoria Tower. Architectural structures miraculously survived the fire were added to the restored building.
