The Houses of Parliament or the Palace of Westminster can be found on the north bank of the River Thames, near Westminster Abbey and the government buildings of Whitehall and Downing Street. It is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. At the north end of the Palace stands London's most famous Clock Tower which many have nicknamed Big Ben, but in fact, Big Ben is the heaviest of the five bells in the tower. The Clock Tower stands at 96.3 metres (316 ft) and holds the largest four-faced chiming clock in the world and is the third-tallest free-standing clock tower.