Westminster is home to the British Parliament in the House of Commons as well as the House of Lords which stand side by side on the north bank of the River Thames just by Westminster Bridge. In nearby Parliament Square, you can see the tall clock tower encompassing the famous bell known affectionately as 'Big Ben'. At the north of end of Parliament Square next to St Margarets Church is Westminster Abbey, an historic church nearly 1000 years old anf where British monarchs have been crowned over the centuries including William the Conqueror in 1066. Many monarchs and parlimentarians have also been buried buried like Edward the Confessor and William Churchill. Westminster was originally known to be the area simply surrounding the Abbey but has nowadays expanded to incorporate the former villages of Marylebone, Paddington and Tyburn. The whole area is now known as the City of Westminster.