Houses of Parliament
The Houses of Parliament are the place where laws governing British life are debated and enacted. Begun in 1840 after a fire destroyed the previous building, the Gothic style was designed by Sir Charles Barry with aid from A.W. Pugin. It contains the bell Big Ben that is struck each quarter hour. A light in the clock tower tells when the House of Commons is in session.
The Houses of Parliament are steeped in pomp, ceremony and splendour. The Queen rides in a State coach to Westminster to open each new session of Parliament, usually in the second week in November. A word of caution; in the summer months it can get pretty congested with all of the tourist coming and regular traffic trying to cross the square. After many long speeches by politicians promising `Free Trafalgar for people`, finally in September 2002 Mr. Ken Livingstone has changed driving routes so that pedestrians can have more freedom. Open from: Mon-Fri 9am-4pm, Sat 9am-2pm & 4-5pm, also Wed 6-7.45pm. Tel: 0207 222 5152.
Houses of Parliament tours -
United
Kingdom Residents: during session - People who are resident in this country
should contact their local Member of Parliament or a Peer whom they know.
The address for contacting MPs is: House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A
0AA . At present, tours are only available on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday mornings
and on Fridays – all day if the Commons are not sitting, late afternoon if
they are. There will be no access to the Commons chamber after 09.30 on Tuesday
and Wednesday mornings. The following Fridays have been announced as sitting Fridays
in 2004: 30 January; 6 & 27 February; 5, 12 & 26 March; 23 & 30 April;
14 & 21 May; 18 June; 16 July; 15 October
Tours for Overseas Visitors - Due to the recent changes in the sitting hours of both Houses, it is no longer possible to provide overseas visitors with permits to tour the Houses of Parliament during session.
Educational Institutions - Schools or other educational institutions based in this country should normally contact their local MP to arrange a tour of the Houses of Parliament. However, the Parliamentary Education Unit offers a range of educational visits for students years 3 – 10 throughout the year. Visits for older students (KS4) take place in the autumn and this programme is advertised in the TES each March. Houses of Parliament are closed during the Easter holidays ( 8 April - 19 April). For more details please click on the following link: www.parliament.uk.
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