Westminster, City of

Westminster, City of,

inner borough (1991 pop. 181,500) of Greater London, SE England, on the Thames River. Westminster is the location of the principal offices and residences of Great Britain's national government. Important offices and departments are in WhitehallWhitehall,
street in Westminster borough, London, England. Because of the many British government offices on the street, Whitehall has become a synonym for the government. The name derives from Whitehall Palace, first built for Hubert de Burgh in the 13th cent.
..... Click the link for more information.  and DowningDowning Street,
Westminster, London, England. On the street are the British Foreign Office and, at No. 10, the residence of the first lord of the Treasury, who is usually (although not necessarily) the prime minister of Great Britain.
..... Click the link for more information.  streets. The monarch lives in Buckingham PalaceBuckingham Palace
, residence of British sovereigns from 1837, in Westminster metropolitan borough, London, England, adjacent to St. James's Park. Built (1703) by the duke of Buckingham, it was purchased (1761) by George III and was remodeled (1825) by John Nash; the eastern
..... Click the link for more information. . Parliament meets in Westminster PalaceWestminster Palace
or Houses of Parliament,
in Westminster, London. The present enormous structure, of Neo-Gothic design, was built (1840–60) by Sir Charles Barry to replace an aggregation of ancient buildings almost completely destroyed by fire in 1834.
..... Click the link for more information. . The borough has an important railroad terminal (Paddington). In Westminster are the administrative offices of the British Broadcasting Corp.; London's chief shopping district; Harley St., a center of medical practice; and a clothing industry. Westminster School is a leading public school, founded in the 14th cent. and reestablished by Queen Elizabeth I in 1560. Other notable features of the borough are Westminster Cathedral, Westminster AbbeyWestminster Abbey,
originally the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery (closed in 1539) in London. One of England's most important Gothic structures, it is also a national shrine. The first church on the site is believed to date from early in the 7th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , Saint James's PalaceSaint James's Palace,
in Westminster, London, England, on St. James's Street and fronting on Pall Mall. Henry VIII built the palace and established the park around it. It was the London royal residence after the burning of Whitehall in 1697 until the time of Queen Victoria.
..... Click the link for more information. , the National GalleryNational Gallery,
London, one of the permanent national art collections of Great Britain, est. 1824. The nucleus of museum was the 38-picture collection of the late English banker John Julius Angerstein, which was purchased by the House of Commons; it was initially displayed at
..... Click the link for more information. , the Tate GalleryTate Gallery,
London, originally the National Gallery of British Art. The original building (in Millbank on the former site of Millbank Prison), with a collection of 65 modern British paintings, was given by Sir Henry Tate and was opened in 1897.
..... Click the link for more information. , the imposing Central Mosque, the Imperial College of Science and Technology, St. James's Park, Hyde ParkHyde Park,
615 acres (249 hectares) in Westminster borough, London, England. Once the manor of Hyde, a part of the old Westminster Abbey property, it became a deer park under Henry VIII. Races were held there in the 17th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , parts of Regent's Park and Kensington Gardens, Mme Tussaud's waxworks, and Kensal Green Cemetery, resting place of several literary figures. Westminster Bridge is the second-oldest bridge in London.