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Parliament
The Houses of Parliament, otherwise known as The Palace of Westminster,
stands on the site where Edward the Confessor had the original palace
built in the first half of the eleventh century. In 1547 the royal
residence was moved to Whitehall Palace, but the Lords continued to meet
at Westminster, while the commons met in St. Stephen's Chapel. Ever since
these early times, the Palace of Westminster has been home to the English
Parliament.
In 1834 a fire broke out which destroyed much of the old palace.
The magnificent Gothic Revival masterpiece you see today was built between
1840 and 1888, this was the work of 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 it's
thirteen ton bell called Big Ben, and Victoria tower, on who's flag pole
the Union Jack flies when parliament is sitting. The statue of Oliver
Cromwell, which stands outside the hall, reminds us it was here in 1653
that he was sworn in as Lord Protector.
The route to the upper and lower houses takes you through the huge wooden
doors into St. Stephen's hall. 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 will be
shown your direction either to the House of Lords or Commons.
House of Commons
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, thus 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.
House of Lords
The House of Lords decorated in scarlet and gold has all the grandeur one
would expect in this chamber. This is where Her Majesty the Queen comes to
open Parliament each November. Placed beneath a regal canopy, the 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, this is a large scarlet cushion filled with wool, a
tradition dating back to the middle ages when wool was England's largest
export. |
