The Houses Of Parliament Tour | Is It The Best Tour In London
I have walked past the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben on countless occasions and each and every time I have done so, I have marvelled at the beauty of the building. They are in my humble opinion, quite probably the most amazing looking Gothic buildings in all of London, perhaps even in the UK.
Not so long ago I finally got myself onto the Big Ben tour, which was arranged for me by my local MP. And an amazing tour it was too and even more amazing is the fact that it doesn’t cost a single penny to go on it. The Big Ben tour is so popular that it takes many months to actually get on it. It is after all one of the most iconic landmarks in not only London but the world.
A few weeks ago I emailed my local MP’s office to enquire about getting onto the Houses of Parliament or if you prefer Westminster Palace tour. I thought it might have been a similar scenario as the Big Ben tour, where there might be one hell of a long waiting list. No such problem. A couple of weeks after my enquiry I was setting off from Kilburn on my way to embark upon the the Houses of Parliament tour.
My tour time was at 10.40am. I for once new exactly where the entrance was and got there in plenty of time to find a queue from hell. Not only was it massive but it was full of pesky school kids. But it was a beautiful day and it was fun listening to the suits in front of me talking about life, holiday homes, work and other stuff that I cant mention on a family friendly blog.
After a bit of wait. And some more waiting the queue eventually move along and I was at last entering the Houses of Parliament ready to begin the tour. And amazingly the picture they took of me for my pass came out good, which meant I didn’t have to try and hide it like I did on the Big Ben tour.
I followed the signs and arrived at Westminster Hall, which is actually the oldest surviving part of the building. It was one of the few parts of the place to survive the devastating fire of 1834. And what an imposing medieval hall it is too. It was fucking huge and the vaulted ceiling looked amazing. I joined 10 other people to be shown the delights of the Houses of Parliament by an older female guide who seemed to know what she was talking about.
I was wondering how much of the Palace of Westminster we would get to see on the 75 minute tour. You just have to see the buildings from outside to know that it is going to be massive inside. The Palace of Westminster covers over eight 8 acres and contains around 1100 rooms, 100 staircases and 4.8 km of passageways. And interestingly there is 19 bars and I don’t mean bars on windows but boozers.
During the tour we were got to see some of the most well known rooms within the Houses of Parliament such as the House of Commons and House of Lords, both of which looked much like the do on television, apart from they were a lot smaller and more intimate than I was expecting. I couldn’t resist rubbing Winston Churchill’s lucky foot on the way into the House of Commons, and hopefully it will bring me luck with my lottery ticket this weekend.
Also during the tour I got to experience some so called key areas of the Palace of Westminster including St Stephen’s Hall, Central Lobby, Queens Robing Room, Royal Gallery and some others, which I cant quite remember. There was so much to take in, but not enough space in my head to remember it all. Which is a good enough excuse to go back again some time in the future.
The Houses of Parliament not only look magnificent form the outside, but they are just as amazing inside. The grandeur, style and beauty of the buildings interior is something else. I just wish I had been given more time to enjoy the surroundings of the place.
For me there was one major disappointment and that was not getting the opportunity to be shown part the labyrinth of cellars and tunnels that exits deep beneath Westminster. Seemingly the cellar where Guy Fawkes planned to blow up Parliament, was destroyed during the fire in 1834, which is a pity.
Another great disappointment was not finding any of those 19 bars that supposedly exist and getting a chance to enjoy some of that cheap booze the MP’s get to enjoy! Never mind you cant have everything I suppose.
All in all I would say the Houses of Parliament is a tour that is well worth going on. I enjoyed it so much that I plan on going back on it later on in the year. There is a hell of a lot to take in, too much in fact. I was so busy enjoying the surroundings that I missed half of what the tour guide said, which is a pity, but next time I promise that I will try and listen better.
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