InfoBritain

Houses of Parliament

The Palace of Westminster, in London, was founded by Edward the Confessor in the eleventh century, although none of the original building survives. The oldest part of the Palace, Westminster Hall dates back to 1097. The rest of the old Parliament building was destroyed by fire soon after the landmark Reform Bill of 1832. The Reform Bill was the basis for Parliament as we see today. In a strangely fitting kind of way, it was only two years later that fire broke out in the House of Lords. It had been decided that wooden tallies used for centuries to compute tax were to be replaced by paper records. A suggestion had been made to the Clerk of Works that the wooden tallies should be given away as fire wood for the poor, but it was thought more proper to confidentially burn them in a stove in the House of Lords. Too many tallies were stuffed into the stove, and fire soon spread from the stove to the surrounding building. In the huge conflagration that followed most of Parliament was destroyed. Joseph Turner stayed up all night doing pencil sketches of the inferno,and then returned home to turn them into paintings.

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16th October 1834, by Turner

The present Palace of Westminster was designed by Charles Barry. The new Parliament building was required to send out a complicated message, which is well summarised by A.N. Wilson:

"Barry's solid Tudor Gothic... makes as they say a statement. These buildings say, on the one hand, we are as new as paint. We are so self-confidently new that we are prepared to pull down some of the historic old rooms which survived the fire. On the other hand they say that... we are as old as the hills and infinitely more respectable." (The Victorians P63)

The Painted Chamber where Edward the Confessor died, and where Charles the First's death warrant had been signed actually survived the fire. It was pulled down to make way for Barry's new building which was carefully built to look old.

So Parliament set about the complicated task of looking to the future whilst also appearing solid, traditional and respectable. Through the nineteenth century the electorate was extended, and parliamentary abuses were legislated against, but this did not stop many aspects of Britain's government remaining unaltered. The House of Lords, made up of nominated members, still survives, inspite of moves against it. The system of hereditary right to a place in the House of Lords is being phased out as seats become vacant. In the Commons a parliamentary member fundamentally continues to represent a place rather than a political faction. MPs are announced not as "The Conservative Member for Bromley" but as "The Honourable Member for Bromley." This has been the case since the reign of Edward the Third, when Parliament existed as a single body to administer the business of the Crown. Governments today, even governments that put "new" in their title, continue the careful balancing act of pursuing the new, and giving the appearance of age old stability. They do so in a building designed to give them some help.

For UK citizens perhaps the best way to visit Parliament is to book through your MP. Overseas visitors can also book, but they must contact aptg@touristguides.org.uk to arrange a tour guide. The guides will charge for their services. All visitors, both UK citizens and overseas visitors, can visit the "Strangers galleries" in both the Commons and the Lords. Entry for the Strangers galleries is at St Stephens Gate. There can be a long wait here. Try arriving after 1.00pm, or try to visit on a Friday to minimise the wait. Admission is free. Debates in the Commons take place on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2.30pm, and on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9.30am. To visit the House during Question Time, when the Commons is at it's busiest, book a ticket through your MP or embassy. Prime Minister's Question Time is on Wednesdays from 12.00pm until 12.30pm. Both houses close at Christmas, Easter and from August to mid October.