Artist/Event Name: Houses of Parliament
Venue: Houses of Parliament
Time: 00:00
Date: 31/08/2009
Town/City: London
Country: England
Postcode: SW1A0AA
Official Ticket Price: £4.80 - £11.70
Quick Ticket Links:
Recommended Ticket Website: http://www.parliament.uk/
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Loading ...Houses of Parliament @ Houses of Parliament - Description
From 3rd August to 3rd October 2009 London’s landmark building, The Houses of Parliament, will again open its doors for `Summer Opening’. The 75 minute guided tours, which have proven to be extremely popular with group visitors, offer the opportunity to discover the fascinating blend of history and politics that lie within one of the most instantly recognisable buildings in the world.
Led by a fully qualified Blue Badge Guide, the tours follow the processional route taken by Her Majesty the Queen when she performs the State Opening of Parliament. Beginning in the Robing Room the tour proceeds past the red benches of the vast Royal Gallery to the tiny Princes Chamber, this is richly decorated on Prince Albert’s orders with engravings of the Tudor dynasty.
The breathtakingly ornate Chamber of the House of Lords is next and it is dominated by the wonderful throne designed by Augustus Welby Pugin. In contrast to the throne, there is a large square cushion for the Lord Chancellor which is stuffed with wool from around the Commonwealth known as the woolsack.
Next is Central Lobby which marks the transition from the ornate Lords into the austere Commons. Members’ Lobby is famous for a statue of Churchill where the famous leader’s brass toe has been rubbed shiny by Tory MPs wanting luck in their maiden speeches.
The Chamber of the House of Commons is entered via a voting lobby. This is undoubtedly one of the most iconic political arenas in the world and visitors talk of physically feeling the history within the room. It’s much smaller and more personal than it looks on television, and standing among the benches gives a new take on the confrontational layout of the space.
The Tour continues through St Stephen’s Hall, the original site of the Commons and, as a former chapel, responsible for the way MPs face each other in the modern chamber – they originally took up seats in the choir stalls.
The Tour ends at the fabulous Westminster Hall, which at 900 years old is one of the most atmospheric spaces in London. Although it has been altered and restored over the years, the walls of this huge arched room are still those built by William Rufus in 1097 while the ingenious hammerbeam roof from was added during the reign of Richard II. The great trials of state were held here – Thomas More, William Wallace, Charles I and the Gunpowder Plotters – and this is where the public have queued in thousands to pay their respects to monarchs lying in state.
A gift shop and cafeteria are available at the tours conclusion.
Group rates for 10+ people start at just £4.89 per person a saving of up to 60 per cent compared to the full individual price. Group rates vary depending on the time of day.
Houses of Parliament, London SW1A 0AA
This post was submitted by Linda Haywood.
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Parliament is well worth visiting. There is so much history and the buildings themselves are beautiful. Depending on your guide you will get the little stories from the chapel underneath the Commons where Tony Benn was baptised to the cupboard where a Suffragette hid overnight during the census so that she could record her address as “The House of Commons”.