Victoria Tower facts for kids
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The Victoria Tower is a tall, square tower in London. It stands at the south-west end of the Palace of Westminster. This is where the UK Parliament meets. The tower is next to Black Rod's Garden and Old Palace Yard.
At about 98.5 meters (323 feet) tall, it is a bit taller than the Elizabeth Tower. The Elizabeth Tower is at the north end of the Palace and is often called 'Big Ben'. When the Victoria Tower was built, it was the tallest square tower in the world!
The famous architect Charles Barry designed the tower. It was finished in 1860. Inside, the tower has 12 floors that hold the Parliamentary Archives. These archives are like a giant library for important government documents. The building originally had a 553-step iron staircase linking all 14 floors. Today, five of those floors still have the original steps.
The main entrance at the bottom of the tower is called the Sovereign's Entrance. This is the special door the King or Queen uses when they come for the State Opening of Parliament. On top of the Victoria Tower, there is a tall flagstaff. The Union Flag flies from it every day. But when the King or Queen is at the Palace, the Royal Standard flies instead.
History of the Victoria Tower
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The Victoria Tower was built for a very important reason. It was designed to be a "fireproof place for books and documents." This was needed after a big fire on October 16, 1834. That fire destroyed the old Palace of Westminster. Almost all the records of the House of Commons were lost.
Luckily, the records of the House of Lords survived. They were stored in the Jewel Tower, which was separate from the main building. The Jewel Tower still stands across the road from the Victoria Tower today.
Sir Charles Barry created the design for the new Palace of Westminster. His plan included a tower over the Sovereign's Entrance. This tower would have 12 floors for storing records. Augustus Pugin helped a lot with the detailed designs and the inside look of the project.
Queen Victoria herself laid the first stone of the Tower on December 22, 1843. The building was fully completed in 1860.
The tower was first called "The King's Tower." This was because the 1834 fire happened during the time of King William IV.
The Victoria Tower has a strong cast-iron frame inside. This frame, not just the stone you see, gives the tower its main strength. When the iron flagstaff was put up, the tower became the tallest square tower in the world. It reached 98.5 meters (323 feet) to the base of the flagstaff. With the crown on top, it was even taller!
In 1897, the King's Tower was officially renamed the "Victoria Tower." This was done to honor Queen Victoria during her Diamond Jubilee year.
The Parliamentary Archives inside the tower have been updated several times. They were rebuilt between 1948 and 1963. This added 12 floors with special air conditioning for documents. They were updated again from 2000 to 2004. These updates make sure the old documents are kept safe and sound.
The people who work with the records carefully clean, flatten, and fix old documents. Sometimes, new parchment is made for torn Acts of Parliament. Some documents were even covered with linen and silk gauze to protect them.
Gallery
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A view of the tower from across Abingdon Street, near the Jewel Tower.
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The detailed neo-gothic design of the entrance to Victoria Tower.
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Victoria Tower seen from the south side.
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The Union Flag flying high on Victoria Tower.
See also
In Spanish: Torre Victoria para niños
