Tour of Parliament

16/9/09 13:05 Just went on a tour of Parliament, and in the original sense of the word, it was awesome! We started the tour in Westminster Hall, which is the oldest part of the Palace. It was completed in 1099 and designed to "impress and overawe." Only this Hall and the Jewel Tower survived the fire in 1834, but everything else had to be rebuilt. In this Hall, many important events occurred. William Wallace, Guy Fawkes, and Charles I were all tried here, before being quartered to different parts of the Island, burned, or decapitated. Also, this is the public viewing to pay respects of the departed public figures such as Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother.  They are commemorated with brass plaques in the center of the hall.
Next was St. Stephen's Hall, where the House of Commons first met. Also, where Charles I entered the House of Commons, the only Sovereign to EVER enter, and attempted to arrest five MPs, which is when the Civil War started led by Oliver Cromwell in the mid-17th Century. Cromwell is a very controversial figure. He has a large statue outside Parliament and sometimes called a hero of England. But he also overthrew the Monarchy, which is now in 'power' again and sentenced Catholics only because they were catholic. There are always two sides to every story, but here, it seems both sides are equally portrayed.
Passing through where the Speaker's Chair used to stand, we entered the Central Lobby, which is the last place a person of the public can go. Right here, you can look through both chambers to the Throne and the Speaker's chair, which face each other. Throughout the Palace, there are three main colors; Gold, for the Crown, Red, for the House of Lords, and Green, for the House of Commons. In the House of Commons, the public benches, located on the balcony, are now separated by a pane of glass. A few years ago, some one threw a condom full of blue powder at Tony Blair during a session of Parliament, so glass had to be put up. I'm very excited to see when the PM has to answer every question thrown at him by the Commons. Lots of standing and sitting very quickly with loud yells and mean remarks. Then after the debate has concluded, the PM has to summarize everything that just happened, not a second after.
Across the way is the House of Lords with the Royal Throne. This is not a publicly elected position, it is hereditary, like the throne. They don't do much anymore other than double check the House of Commons. At every House of Lords meeting, there is a collection of Bishops and Arch Bishops present to help inform on a debate. The sovereign only comes to Parliament to open the present session in November, wearing the Crown Jewels. She address the Lords saying what her Government will accomplish this session, then out she goes. I can't full describe the intricacies of this amazing place, so I suggest you try the virtual tour online. The Lobby outside the House of Commons Chambers holds a statue of Winston Churchhill, David Lloyd George, and one that will haunt my dreams, Mrs. Thatcher.

Keep checking my photos, there are a lot of photos of the inside of Parliament that I took from their website there along with more and more from the traveling.

Also, if you are reading this, speak up! I'd love to hear your responses if you have more to say about the topic at hand, or if my facts are wrong, (WHICH CAN HAPPEN) or if wish for me to find more about a certain subject. I will take any and all advice of where to go and what to see. After all, I'm only over here for a short while...