Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Houses of Parliament & Big Ben
HISTORIC SITE The image of the
Pal-
ace of Westminster
(the official name for the building containing the Houses of
Parliament) and its clocktower known as
Big Ben
(to everyone except pedants, who
will tell you that Big Ben is in fact the name of the bell, not the tower) has become
an icon of icons. It is the scene most evocative of the capital's timeless nature, and
yet all is not as it seems. Although the site has been in use for almost 1,000 years—
first as a royal palace, and then from the 16th century onward as the seat of Parlia-
ment—most of what you see dates only from the mid-19th century. It was designed
in a deliberately medieval-looking, “Gothic Revival” style to replace an earlier struc-
ture that burned down in 1834. There are, however, much older sections hidden
within, including the 11th-century
Westminster Hall,
which still boasts its 14th-
century hammerbeam roof, and the 14th-century Jewel Tower (see below).
You can take a guided tour of the buildings on Saturdays throughout the year and
during the summer recess (when the politicians are on vacation), which takes in various
places of interest in the vast 1,000-room complex, including Westminster Hall, the Royal
Gallery, and the Queen's Robing Room, where the monarch gets ready for her annual
speech to parliament. You are also allowed to pop into the
House of Commons
cham-
ber itself, where the country's 650 elected MPs (Members of Parliament) come to argue
over the latest legislation, as well as the secondary chamber, the
House of Lords.
To
see British democracy in (for want of a better word) action, will probably involve a fair
bit of waiting around. When the House is sitting—Monday to Thursday and some Fri-
days during the parliamentary seasons—line up outside the Cromwell Green visitor
entrance, usually for a couple of hours (generally less for the Lords). Tickets are allocated
on a first-come, first-served basis. Don't go expecting any great rhetorical fireworks,
however. Most debates are sparsely attended and jargon-heavy.
Across the street is the
Jewel Tower
, Abingdon Street (
&
020/7222-2219;
www.english-heritage.org.uk), one of only two surviving buildings from the medieval
Palace of Westminster. Although originally built in 1365 to house Edward III's treasure-
trove, the tower today holds only an exhibition on the history of Parliament. It is open
daily from 10am to 5pm April to October and 10am to 4pm November to March. Admis-
sion is £3.20 for adults, £2.70 for students and seniors, and £1.60 for children.
Old Palace Yard, SW1. House of Commons
&
020/7219-4272;
House of Lords
&
020/7219-3107.
www.parliament.uk. Free admission. Guided tours take place Sat 9:15am-4:30pm; Aug-Sept Mon-Tues
and Fri-Sat 9:15am-4:30pm, Wed-Thurs 1:15pm-4:30pm. Tours last 75 min. To attend debates, the
House of Commons sits at the following times Mon-Tues 2:30-10:30pm, Wed 11:30am-7:30pm, Thurs
10:30am-6:30pm, Fri 9:30am-3pm. Join the line at Cromwell Green entrance. Tube: Westminster.
Natural History Museum
MUSEUM It seems fitting that one of Lon-
don's great museums should be housed in such a grand building, a soaring Romanesque
structure that provides a suitably reverent setting for what is often described as a
“cathedral of nature.” The museum's remit is to cover the great diversity of life on Earth
in all its myriad forms, although that coverage is by no means uniform. One group of
life forms gets a lot more attention lavished on it than any others, much to the delight
of visiting 8-year-olds—
dinosaurs.
As you arrive, your first vision will be the giant cast
of a diplodocus looming down above you. If you want to see more of these great prehis-
toric beasts—but with added rubbery skin and jerky movements—then turn left where
you'll find a hall filled with fossils and finds, as well as displays of animatronic dinosaurs
permanently surrounded by gaggles of wide-eyed children.
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