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| Palace of Westminster - Houses of Parliament tips and photos posted by real travelers and London locals.
Parliament Square, SW1
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The small park, next to the Victoria Tower end of The Houses of Parliament, offers a peaceful change from the bustling crowds outside Parliament, and even noisier rabble within.
The park contains a bronze sculpture made by Rodin in 1895 of The Burghers of Calais (the residents of Calais in France who surrendered to Edward III in 1347, during the Hundred Year's War between Britain and France).
There is also a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928), the British suffragette, whose efforts finally won women the right to vote.
DONT MISS MY VIDEOS OF VICTORIA TOWER GARDENS Directions: Nearest Underground is Westminster
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The small park, next to the Victoria Tower end of The Houses of Parliament, offers a peaceful change from the bustling crowds outside Parliament, and even noisier rabble within.
The park contains a bronze sculpture made by Rodin in 1895 of The Burghers of Calais (the residents of Calais in France who surrendered to Edward III in 1347, during the Hundred Year's War between Britain and France).
There is also a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst (1858-1928), the British suffragette, whose efforts finally won women the right to vote.
DONT MISS MY VIDEOS OF VICTORIA TOWER GARDENS Directions: Nearest Underground is Westminster
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Big Ben, the clock gracing the tower at the east end of the Houses of Parliament, is my favorite symbol of London. Seeing it lit up so beautifully at night is enough to choke me up. :)
Bring your tripod if you want a decent picture of Mr. Ben at night...this is the best I could do with a mini-tripod and digital camera. Leave a Comment
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Each summer (from August 1st to September 30th) the Houses of Parliament are open to the public with gioded tours operating every few minutes. Tours last 75 minutes. Foreign language tours are also available in French, Spanish, German and Italian. You will be able to see the historic building, including the chambers of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
History of the Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster was the principal residence of the kings of England from the middle of the 11th century until 1512.
In 1834 the Palace was burned down. This fire destroyed almost all of the Palace except Westminster Hall, the crypt of St Stephen's Chapel, the adjacent cloisters and the Jewel Tower. The present Houses of Parliament were built over the next 30 years. They were the work of the architect Sir Charles Barry. The design incorporated Westminster Hall and the remains of St Stephen's Chapel.
The House of Commons Chamber was destroyed in a German air attack in 1941. It was rebuilt after the Second World War, taking care to preserve the essential features of Barry's building - the architect was Sir Giles Gilbert Scott. The new Chamber was completed in 1950.
Layout of the Palace of Westminster
After coming through the public entrance St Stephen's Entrance, the approach to the Central Lobby of the Palace is through St Stephen's Hall from St Stephen's Porch at the southern end of Westminster Hall. Central Lobby, a large octagonal hall, is the centrepiece of the Palace. The Central Lobby is a great masterpiece of Victorian art.
From the Central Lobby, corridors lead northward to the House of Commons Lobby and Chamber and southward to the House of Lords. Beyond the House of Lords are the ceremonial rooms used at the State Opening of Parliament - the Queen's Robing Room and the Royal Gallery - reached by a separate entrance under the Victoria Tower.
NB: no photography is possible on the tour Leave a Comment
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Think of London and the picture of Big Ben and the houses of Parliment come inot your mind. This most noteable London landmark is on the north side of the river Thames, standing in Parliment square. If you are lucky when you visit you may just catch a glimpse of one of the more noteable British politcians as they come and go. Also outside the Parliment buildings is a good place to people watch as there is always someone protesting about one issue or another. Leave a Comment
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Big Ben is a 316ft clock tower, weighs over 13 tons and was completed in 1858.
The origin of the name "Big Ben" is not fully clear, however, it is believed that most likely the clock got its name after Sir Benjamin Hall, who was the first Commissioner of Works.
The first broadcast of Big Ben was made on the 31st of December 1923 to welcome the new year. Leave a Comment
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This is like the birthplace of modern democratic institution, the British parliamentary monarchy which has been adopted in many Commonwealth nations like my own, Malaysia.
There is a public gallery that in both the House of Commons and House of Lords. The queue for the House of Lords in shorter and I went for that.
I spent some quality time at the gallery of the mute, to see and hear the Lords in action debating some petty regulations of pets. No wonder some Lords go to sleep.
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The Houses of Parliament are on many must-see lists of London visitors. Originally built as a royal residence, it has become the cneter of British Democracy. The oldest parts of this complex date from 1097. Unfortunately, large parts of this building were destroyed by a fire in 1834. Afterwards, it was reconstructed in neogothic style. Due to its impressive exterior, it is now on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. A part of Westminster Palace is better known the the complex itself: The clock tower, which is often referred to as "Big Ben" (although that's the name of the bell only. Another famous tower is the Victoria Tower which once was the world's largest square tower. You will find the Sovereign's Entrance to the parliament in this tower.
If you would like to enjoy a beutiful view on this building, take a walk around the thames at the evening or night. The view on the Houses of Parliament from the south bank are far more impressive than the blurry picture I made.
It is not impossible to visit the Houses of Parliament, but quite difficult, especially if you are a non-UK citizen. Visit the website below to inform yourself about access possibilities. If you want to learn more about Big Ben, visit my separate tip about the clock tower. Leave a Comment
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When I realised that Houses of Parliament would be open for a guided tour in summer, I didn’t hestitate a second to book this. It was very much worth the visit and I can only highly recommend to book this tour, also to British citizens! Visiting Parliament during house sessions might be nice, but you won’t be able to visit the surrounding rooms then.
The tour starts inside Westminster Hall, which is also the only part where photo taking is allowed (but it is quite dark, despite the big stained glass window on the southern side – photos 2 and 3). This hall is already fascinating in its structure, it is the oldest part of the palace and was built in 1097 and modified to its (almost) today’s appearance. Again, UK Parliament’s webmasters have created virtual masterpieces on their website, please make sure that you have a look at their Westminster Hall 3D animated photos and video. This is fantastic to see all this most magnificent hammerbeam roof in detail and how the hall was equipped in the past.
The tour then continues through St. Stephen’s Hall with huge paintings themed “The Building of Britan” together with statues of former statesmen. Then comes the Central Lobby, a real masterpiece in art and architecture. It is the centre of Palace of Westminster, the other rooms are grouped symmetrically to its north (Commons’ area) and its south (Lords’ area). And it is also the third tower of the whole complex, once designed by Barry for ventilation as well. It is of octagonal shape, with four archways leading to the Commons’ and Lords’ area and to St. Stephen’s Hall and a Waiting Hall (unaccessible for tourists). These four archways have magnificent mosaics of the four patron saints which represent Great Britain: St. George for England, St. David for Wales, St. Andrew for Scotland, St. Patrick for Ireland. Next the tour will lead to the southern part of the Palace, which, apart from housing the Lords’ rooms is the centre of the State Opening of Paliament every year end November (2008: on Dec. 3). The Queen then enters through the Sovereign entrance and puts on state robe and crown jewels in the Robing Room. This room is full of artwork, such as frescos depicting scenes of King Arthur and two large portraits of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert left and right of the Chair of State. From there, procession and the guided tour lead through the Royal Gallery with two huge paintings by Daniel Maclise (the hugest paintings I recall to have ever seen) with scenes of Lord Nelson’s death at Trafalgar. Noteworthy is also the magnificent ceiling coffer ceiling, all in gold and red and with Tudor roses. Next comes the rather small Prince’s Chamber with paintings of Henry VIII and his wives, painted by students of the Royal School of Art in mid 19th century. Well, what can I say about the House of Lords that hasn’t been mentioned already? It is again a masterpiece of art with so many magnificent details like the two brass candelabra left and right of the throne (by Pugin) and the huge frescos of the virtues of justice, chivalry and religion or the 18 statues in the middle of the walls who represent barons who witnessed the signing of Magna Carta in 1215. The famous woolsack is the place where the Lord Speaker sits over the sessions, behind him (actually her, Baroness Helene Hayman since July 2006) the Ceremonial Mace which represents the authority of the Sovereign. The next room is Peers’ Lobby, again a masterpiece in white with decorations in red and gold. Red is dominating in the Lords’ part by the way, all chairs and seatings, carpets, decoration is mostly red. From the Peers’ Lobby the tour leads back through the Central Lobby into the Commons’ area, the actual centre of Britains’ power and government. It is here where laws are discussed and passed in complicated yet so simple procedures. I am not at all in a position to describe this (as I would have to understand it first), but I really like the very much practical method of voting: left and right of House of Commons are chambers called “aye” (yes) and “no”: the MPs have to go into the chamber of their vote, and when they come back through a little gate, they are counted. Amazing, how this old method still survives in today’s electronic times, but in my opinion it is better than anything else. House of Commons is a mirror to House of Lords, but green is the dominating colour in the Commons’ part. But also here a mace (the second one in Palace of Westminster) is present while the house is sitting (on a table, however). The current Speaker is Michael Martin, Glasgow.
There is so much more to tell about Palace of Westminster, but it is better to go and see yourself. The tour guides will be happy to answer every question, the one I had certainly was. Take your time and don’t miss the amazing details in every room. The symbols like portcullis, Tudor rose, lions are visible everywhere, at the walls, ceilings, floors. What amazed me most was how very well balanced the overall decoration was. At no point I had the feeling that it was too much, it fit all together perfectly.
If you want to know how British Parliament works, you should read Sarah's (@toonsarah) detailed explanations about the government.
Ok, now to the practical things:
As the name suggests, summer opening is only in summer. In 2008 it was from July 28 to September 27. The dates for the next years will be available at UK Parliament’s website. I bought my ticket at the official booth next to Jeweil Tower on the other side of the road (photo 5) and paid £12. Kids’ fee is £5, reductions for seniors and students with ID card. Tours in French, German, Spanish and Italian are available several times daily, but this depends on the availability of the guides. I planned to book an English tour but then I saw that a German tour would be available at the time I showed up. The tour takes approximately 70-90 minutes, it involves a lot of walking. There is heavy security checking like at airports at the entrance, a photo of the visitor is taken for a visit pass. I had my small backpack with me which wasn’t any problem, but I was told that bigger backpacks or trolleys cannot be brought in.
Coordinates on GoogleEarth:
51°29’58,27’’N; 00°07’33,38’’W Leave a Comment
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The hour bell of the Great Clock of Westminster is known worldwide as 'Big Ben'. Most people think the term refers to the whole clock.
Tours of the Clock Tower are available but there is a very limited capacity; no children under 11 are allowed. At present, tours are only available to UK residents. Tours are free, but there are 344 spiral steps.
The story of the Great Clock starts with the fire of 1834 which burned most of the Palace of Westminister. In 1844 Parliment decided that their new buildings should incorporate a tower and clock. The Astronomer Royal, George Airy drafted a specification for the clock, including:
"the first stroke of the hour bell should register the time, correct to within one second per day, and furthermore that it should telegraph its performance twice a day to Greenwich Observatory, where a record would be kept."
Most clockmakers thought this was an impossible specification, so Edmund Becket Denison later Sir Edmund Beckett, the first Baron Grimthorpe was appointed by Parliment as co-referee with Airy. He was described as:
"zealous but unpopular, self-accredited expert on clocks, locks, bells, buildings, as well as many branches of law, Denison was one of those people who are almost impossible as colleagues, being perfectly convinced that they know more than anybody about everything - as unhappily they often do."
Eventually Denison designed a clock mechanism and also a bell for the clock. This bell was speced at 14 tons, which was bigger than any that had been done in Britain before.
After the bell was cast at Whitechapel Bell Foundry and mounted, it cracked because Denison used too heavy a hammer (against the specs of George Mears, the master bellfounder and owner of the Foundry). After a lighter hammer was fitted, a square piece of metal chipped out of the soundbow, and the bell given an eighth of a turn to present an undamaged section to the hammer. The crack gives Big Ben its distinctive sound. Leave a Comment
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