Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square

Westminster Abbey & Parliament Square Conservation Area is situated in southern Westminster, adjacent to the River Thames.

This relatively small conservation area has an extremely high concentration of Grade I and II* listed buildings and includes some of Westminster's most famous landmarks. Part of the conservation area has also been designated as a World Heritage Site.

The principal public focus in the area is Parliament Square, which is dominated by the neo-Gothic splendour of the Houses of Parliament. Adjacent to this is Westminster Abbey, at the core of the conservation area. The complex of courts and cloisters surrounding the Abbey and Dean's Yard provide a contrast to the busy character of the rest of the conservation area and have some early remaining properties of domestic scale, intermingled with late 19th and early 20th Century insertions. Victoria Gardens to the west of Victoria Tower, together with the broad reach of the River Thames creates a glorious setting for the Houses of Parliament.

The area was first designated as part of the Government Precinct Conservation Area in 1969. It was re-designated as the Westminster Abbey and Parliament Square Conservation Area in 1987 and extended to include 4 Matthew Parker Street in 2008.