Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The white building (flying the Union Jack) at the far end of the square houses Britain's
Supreme Court.
You can wander the building after going through security, see a small
exhibit on this recently sanctioned legal body, and observe any courts currently in session
(it also has a café and WCs).
In 1868, the world's first traffic light was installed on the corner where Whitehall now
spills double-decker buses into the square. Another reminder of a bygone era is the little
yellow “Taxi” lantern atop the fence on the street corner closest to Parliament. In pre-mo-
bile phone days, when an MP needed a taxi, this lit up to hail one. And here's one more
ancient artifact: Along the north side of Parliament Square are nearly obsolete remnants
of 20th-century technology—red phone booths, mainly used today by tourists wanting a
photo-op with Big Ben.
• Consider touring Westminster Abbey ( see the Westminster Abbey Tour chapter).
Otherwise, turn right (north), walk away from the Houses of Parliament and the Abbey,
and continue up Parliament Street, which becomes Whitehall.
Walking Along Whitehall
Today, Whitehall is choked with traffic, but imagine the effect this broad street must have
had on out-of-towners a century ago. In your horse-drawn carriage, you'd clop along a
tree-lined boulevard past well-dressed lords and ladies, dodging street urchins. Gazing left,
