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HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT
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The Houses of Parliament |
Home of the two houses of the English Parliament |
The Houses of Parliament date back to the 11th century, when they were built as the Royal Palace of Westminster. In 1547 the Royal Palace was moved to Whitehall and the building became the home of the English Parliament. Fire destroyed much of the early palace in 1834 when all that remained was the Chapel Crypt, the Jewel Tower and Westminster Hall. |
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J. M. W. Turner watched the fire of 1834 and then produced this painting
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The magnificent Gothic Revival masterpiece you see today was built between 1840 and 1888; this was the work of Sir Charles Barry who designed the buildings to blend with nearby Westminster Abbey. The two imposing towers, well known landmarks in London, are the clock tower, named after its thirteen ton bell called Big Ben, and Victoria Tower, on whose flag pole the Union Jack flies when parliament is sitting. |
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Taking you on a quick tour, we begin at the entrance to Westminster Hall. This large hall has an impressive hammerbeam roof of oak and is one of the most imposing medieval halls in Europe. In this noble setting coronation banquets were held until 1821. It was used as England's highest court of law until the 19th century and it was here that Guy Fawkes was tried for attempting to blow up the House of Lords on 5th November 1605. |
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Drawing by Thomas Rowlandson & Augustus Pugin 1808-11 |
The statue of Oliver Cromwell, which stands outside the hall, reminds us that it was here in 1653 that he was sworn in as Lord Protector. |
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Oliver Cromwell Statue, outside Westminster Hall |
The route to the upper and lower houses takes you through the huge wooden doors into St. Stephen's Hall. The vaulted ceiling and murals were designed by Barry to replicate the medieval chapel. From here you are ushered into the well known octagonal Central Lobby, whose tiled walls are inscribed with Latin mottos. This is the central meeting place where constituents can meet or "lobby" their Members of Parliament. It is from here that you can either be directed to the House of Lords or the House of Commons. |
The House of Commons was destroyed by an incendiary bomb in 1941. A reconstruction of Barry's original design for the house, taken from St. Stephen's chapel, the commons old meeting place, was completed in 1950. The seating arrangement in the house is reminiscent of choir stalls, the members of the cabinet sit on the front benches while opposition senior members sit directly opposite. The distance between the benches marked out on the floor in red lines, is exactly two sword lengths and one foot apart. Members are not allowed to cross these lines, ensuring that debates are kept orderly. In the centre of the floor stands the Table of the House, on which the mace is placed at the start of each parliamentary sitting; this is the Speaker's sceptre. The speaker of the house presides over sittings, keeping order. |
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Drawing by Augustus Pugin and Thomas Rowlandson around 1808 |
Did you know? |
The House of Commons elects a "Speaker" at the start of each parliamentary term. The Speaker wears a ceremonial black robe and wig. Their job is to oversee the running of the House and control debates. The Speaker may discipline members who fail to observe the rules of the House. |
The House of Lords is decorated in scarlet and gold, with the upper part of the Chamber decorated with stained glass windows and six allegorical frescoes representing religion, chivalry, and law. Her Majesty the Queen comes here to open Parliament each November and beneath a regal canopy, a gold throne which dominates the house, is where the Queen sits to deliver the traditional opening speech. The Lord Chancellor sits opposite, on the famous Woolsack, which is a large scarlet cushion filled with wool, a tradition dating back to the Middle Ages when wool was England's largest export. |
Tours can only be arranged by writing to your local MP |
 Westminster |
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