Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
now is a rather lifeless postwar reconstruction. Barry's design was modelled on the
palace's original St Stephen's Hall, hence the choir-stall arrangement of the MPs'
benches. Members of the cabinet (and the opposition's shadow cabinet) occupy the
two “front benches”; the rest are “backbenchers”. The chamber is at its busiest during
Question Time, though if more than 427 of the 650 MPs turn up, a large number have
to remain standing. For much of the time, however, the chamber is almost empty, with
just a handful of MPs present from each party.
The House of Lords
On the other side of the Central Lobby, a corridor leads to the
House of Lords
(or
Upper House), a far dozier establishment peopled by unelected Lords and Ladies, plus
a smattering of bishops. Their home boasts much grander decor than the Commons,
full of regal gold and scarlet, and dominated by Pugin's great canopied gilded throne
where the Queen sits for the state opening of Parliament in May. Directly in front of
the throne, the Lord Chancellor runs the proceedings from the scarlet Woolsack, an
enormous cushion stuffed with wool, which harks back to the time when it was
England's principal export. Until 1999, there were one thousand plus hereditary Lords
(over a quarter of whom had been to Eton) in the House. Most rarely bothered to turn
up, but at critical votes, they could be (and were) called upon by the Conservatives, to
ensure a right-wing victory. Today, just 92 hereditary peers sit in the House, along with
26 senior bishops, while the rest are made up of life peers, appointed by the Queen on
the advice of the Prime Minister. However, for the most part, the Lords have very little
real power, as they can only advise, amend and review parliamentary bills.
The royal apartments
To see any more of parliament's pomp and glitter you'll need to go on a
guided tour
(see p.50). Beyond the House of Lords is the
Princes' Chamber
, known as the Tudor
Room after the portraits that line the walls, including Henry VIII and all six of his
wives. Beyond here you enter the
Royal Gallery
, a cavernous writing room for the
House of Lords, hung with portraits of royals past and present, and two 45-foot-long
frescoes of Trafalgar and Waterloo. Next door is the
Queen's Robing Chamber
, which
boasts a superb coffered ceiling and lacklustre Arthurian frescoes. As the name
suggests, this is the room where the monarch dons the crown jewels before entering
the Lords. Lastly, you get to see the Norman Porch, every nook of which is stuffed
with busts of eminent statesmen, and the
Royal Staircase
, which is lined with guards
from the Household Cavalry when the Queen arrives for the annual state opening of
Parliament in May.
Jewel Tower
Daily 10am-5pm • EH • £3.90 •
T
020 7222 2219 •
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Westminster
he
Jewel Tower
across the road from the Sovereign's Entrance, is the only other major
remnant of the medieval palace apart from Westminster Hall. Constructed in 1365 by
Edward III as a giant strongbox for his most valuable possessions, the tower formed the
southwestern corner of the original exterior fortifications (there's a bit of moat left,
too), and was called the King's Privy Wardrobe. Later, it was used to store the records
of the House of Lords, and then as a testing centre by the Board of Trade's Standards
Department. Nowadays, the tower houses a small exhibition on the history of the
Palace of Westminster and on the tower itself.
Victoria Tower Gardens
To the south of Parliament's Victoria Tower are the leafy
Victoria Tower Gardens
, which
look out onto the Thames. Visitors are greeted by a statue of Emmeline Pankhurst,
leader of the suffragette movement, who died in 1928, the same year women finally
got the vote on equal terms with men; medallions commemorating her daughter
