We went by underground to the Houses of Parliament today to visit the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
Clive had already booked the tickets for this inspection by phone in Falmouth.

The Old Palace

The New Palace of Westminster — the correct name of the Houses of Parliament — stands on a historic riverside site which links it with the origins of Parliament and the ancient palace of the Norman kings.
This originally marshy spot was first used by Canute for a royal palace, but it was Edward the Confessor who established the medieval building now known as the Old Palace, to be dose to the Abbey of St Peter at Westminster which he refounded. The Old Palace was both a royal residence and a meeting place of parliaments; it was the principal residence of the kings of England until 1532, when Henry VIII moved to Whitehall Palace and St James's Palace.No longer a royal residence, the Palace of Westminster nevertheless remains a royal palace to this day.
The Old Palace was built as a residence for the King and his court, and as a setting for state ceremonial. Over the centuries it was rebuilt and extended, but its most important structure remained Westminster Hall, which still stands today. This was the meeting place of the King's Council, a body later enlarged to include knights of the shires and burgesses from the towns during the struggle for power between

Henry IIIand Simon de Montfort. The Great Parliament of 1265, which met in this hall, has been seen as the origin of the modern Parliament.
The separation of the Commons (the knights and burgesses) from the Lords (the nobles and prelates) seems to have begun about 1332. The Commons met in parts of the palace or in the chapter house or refectory of the abbey until in 1547 the private chapel of the palace —St Stephen's Chapel, on the site of the present

St Stephen's Hall — was secularised and given to the Commons as their first permanent meeting place. The Commons adapted it to their needs, installing the Speaker's chair in front of the altar and using the chapel stalls for seats.Until 1801 the Lords met in the Parliament Chamber, at the southern end of the Old Palace. It was beneath this chambei. that Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators placed barrels of gunpowder in 1605, an act of treason which led to their execution in Old Palace Yard.

After the Union with Ireland in 1801 the Lords, seeking more space, moved into the Court of Requests, to the south of Westminster Hall where the statue of Richard Inow stands. The Lords remained there, and the Commons in
St Stephen's Chapel, until the night of 16 October 1834 when the Old Palace went up in flames. The overheating of a House of Lords furnace filled with Exchequer tally sticks used for kepping accounts led to a massive blaze which destroyed almost all of the rambling medieval building.

The New Palace

A new Palace of Westminster, much more magnificent and carefully planned for its purpose, was to rise on the site of the old building, whose unsuitability as the seat of Parliament had long been recognised.The fire provided an opportunity to create a new building which could be a symbol of the spirit of parliamentary reform (the 1832 Reform Act had just been passed), a monument to the history of the nation and a building providing the comforts available in the mid nineteenth century. A competition was held, specifying a design in either the gothic or Elizabethan style. Out of ninety-seven entries the winner was Charles Barry, who chose the Perpendicular gothic style to harmonise with Westminster Abbey's Henry VII Chapel opposite. He created a functional secular palace combining practical arrangements with an extraordinary complexity of ornament, aiming
to achieve 'a sculptured memorial of our

His design had a pioneering emphasis on the use of space, locating the two chambers and all the main rooms on the principal floor. Its circulation areas and public rooms work as successfully today as when they were designed, particularly as a result of the symmetrical layout planned around the Central Lobby and along the river front. At either end Barry placed imposing towers which he set back from the river. In the south the Victoria Tower rises above Millbank, and to the north the Clock Tower with its famous hour bell Big Ben dominates New Palace Yard. Westminster Hall, which survived the fire, was incorporated into the scheme.
The interiors of the New Palace were developed in collaboration with A.W.N. Pugin, whose inventive genius for adapting gothic forms created the elaborate furniture, carvings and fittings. The partnership of these two men produced the first great Gothic Revival public building. Barry created the overall design of the palace and dealt with its planning and construction — a great technical feat in itself.
Pugin supplied a flood of drawings for every part of the building, which Barry did not hesitate to

alter with an eye to the scale and overall effect. After Pugin's death in 1852 his designs continued to be used. Barry died in 1860 and work on the palace was continued by his son Edward Middleton Barry.The building covers an area of eight acres (3.2 hectares), and was not finished until the 1870s at a total cost of over two million pounds. It has undergone changes ever since. Offices needed to be created out of the spacious residences originally included for the senior officers of Parliament. In the process many fittings and decorations were removed or obscured, particularly during the 1920s and 1930s when Pugin's style went out of fashion. Luckily, painted ceilings were often only covered over, and records of the original wallpapers and other designs can be traced. A steady programme of work in the last thirty years has recreated the richly decorated interiors which comprise many of the 1,100 rooms in daily working use throughout the palace.

The Royal Processional Route

Inside the palace the level of decoration varies depending on the ceremonial importance of each area. Thus the grandest interiors were created in the Lords' chamber and the suite of rooms which form the royal processional route for the State Opening. For this purpose the architect preferred halls to staircases.

The pageantry of the State Opening begins as the royal carriage comes through the arch at the base of the Victoria Tower. Here the Queen enters the palace and climbs the Royal Staircase with its unbroken ascent of wide low treads. The procession then reaches the landing called the Norman Porch, so named because there had been plans to instal statues of Norman sovereigns here. It is dominated by an atmospheric portrait of Queen Victoria.
The Queen's Robing Room, the next room in the Queen's progress, is in the centre of the south front of the palace. This elaborately decorated room contains a series of frescos based on the story of King Arthur. The artist, William Dyce, worked on them between 1848 and 1864, painting only in the summer because of problems of getting the wet plaster to dry. The Arthurian legend is also used for the carved bas-reliefs which are set into the linenfold panelling. At the end of the room is a Chair of State designed by E.M. Barry, who also designed the ornate fireplace. The Robing Room was used as the House of Lords between 1941 and 1951, when the Commons moved into the Lords' chamber after their own chamber had been destroyed in wartime bombing. Since then it has been used for its original purpose, as the apartment where the sovereign puts on the Imperial State Crown and parliamentary robes.

When the Queen is ready the double doors are opened and her procession moves into the Royal Gallery. This vast room, some 100 feet (30 m) long, is lined with two historical scenes, of the death of Nelson at Trafalgar and themeeting of Wellington and Blucher at Waterloo. Plans for other frescos were abandoned, and portraits of kings and queens since George I

now cover the walls. Other decorations include four pairs of gilded royal statues, and large Tudor roses in the ceiling panels and on the archways; these are a favourite emblem throughout the palace. The room is occasionally used for parliamentary ceremonies, including the reception of visiting statesmen from abroad.
From the Royal Gallery the Queen's procession passes into the Prince's Chamber. The decoration of this room is based on a Tudor theme, and includes full-length portraits of Henry VIII and his six wives and other leading figures of the period. The room also contains a large neo-classical statue of Queen Victoria, two fine octagonal tables and a set of lion-headed chairs designed by Pugin in his grandest manner.

The House of Lords

The decorative scheme in the palace reaches its climax in the chamber of the House of Lords. Here the whole Parliament — Sovereign, Lords and Commons — assembles for the State Opening.A richly carved and gilded canopy in three compartments emphasises the importance of the Queen's throne, and the rest of the chamber is decorated with equal richness. It contains sumptuous examples of nineteenth-century craftsmanship in wood and metal, including the great standing brass candelabra on either side of the throne. High on the walls are eighteen large bronze statues of barons and prelates who witnessed the signing of Magna Carta, and in the arched recesses large frescos extol the virtues of justice, religion and chivalry. The elaborate panelled ceiling was restored in 1980-84 after a small part of it fell into the chamber during a late night sitting. Investigation revealed that much of the wood was fixed only with glue, which had dried out over the years.

It is in this magnificent setting that the peers conduct their business. Like the House of Commons, the House of Lords holds general debates, puts questions to ministers (of whom about twenty are members of the House) and considers legislation. Its procedure and practices differ in detail from those of the Commons, and its powers over legislation are qualified: the Lords may not amend 'money bills', and they can only delay other bills passed by the Commons for an effective period of thirteen months.

The House of Lords also has a judicial function as the final Court of Appeal for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and, in civil matters only, for Scotland. This is due to be transferred to a separate Supreme Court in 2009.

The House is presided over by the Lord Speaker, who sits on the woolsack in front of the throne. The other peers sit on the red padded benches, with the Government party sitting on the throne's right hand. In former times

the side belonged to the Lords Spiritual, and still contains a special bench to accommodate the bishops (identified by its armrests, not provided on the other benches). The cross-benches are at the north end of the chamber, in front of the Bar of the House where the Commons Speaker and MPs stand at the State Opening, and from where barristers make their speeches when the
chamber is used for judicial sittings. Behind it lies the archway leading to the Peers Lobby.
The area of the palace occupied by the House of Lords includes committee rooms, libraries, dining rooms and offices. Many of these rooms have been altered little since their completion, and are furnished with many pieces of original furniture.

The Central Lobby

The hub of the building is the Central Lobby, a busy meeting place where people come to lobby' their MPs. It is sited along the central axis between the Commons' and Lords' chambers, and on the Commons' side is a desk manned by police and attendants from where constituents can send in a 'green card' to contact their representatives.
Archways lead off to the two chambers and to their galleries, as well as to the Lower Waiting Hall where a marble bust of Oliver Cromwell is prominently on display. Beyond the hall, along the river front, are the libraries and dining rooms available to MPs and to the right an elegant gothic staircase leads to the committee rooms. Before the start of each day's sitting of the Commons the Speaker processes through this hall and the Central Lobby to the cry of 'Hats off, strangers!' from the police.

The vast octagon of the Central Lobby has a vaulted stone roof which was decorated with mosaics in 1868-9 by E.M. Barry. Over the four archways are panels depicting the patron saints, a series which was begun in 1870 with St George for England, continued in 1898 with St David for Wales, and after a long pause benefactions enabled the panels of St Andrew for Scotland and St Patrick for Ireland to be installed in 1922-4. The mosaic decoration was intended to make the Central Lobby less gloomy, and E.M. Barry claimed that his additions had achieved a 'general cheerfulness and lightness' which is undoubtedly increased by the great chandelier dating from 1854 made to Pugin's design. Pugin also designed the encaustic tiles in the floor which were made by Minton, and which include a Latin text from Psalm 127 which reads 'Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build

Many historical scenes cover the corridor walls in this part of the palace. A scheme to decorate the walls throughout the building with narrative painting was first drawn up by a Fine Art Commission established in 1841 with Prince Albert as its chairman. Not all of its decisions were implemented, and many pictures have disintegrated or faded because artists were encouraged to use fresco (powdered pigments applied directly to wet plaster) rather than oil. However, a scheme of subjects was agreed for the different parts of the palace, and this has been complemented by subsequent additions.


The House of Commons

It is in the House of Commons that political argument and power is centred. A General Election determines the choice of political party to form a government, and its existence depends on maintaining the support of a majority in the Commons. The Government's policies are explained or criticised in debates and at question turne, bills (draft laws) are considered, levels of taxation decided and expenditure voted for the running of the country. Most Government ministers (usually all but two of the Cabinet of about twenty, and sixty out of the eighty other ministers) are drawn from this House.
The Commons' chamber was rebuilt in 1945-50 after it and its lobbies were seriously damaged in an air raid on 10 May 1941. In the Commons, or Members, Lobby the archway into

the chamber incorporates stones from the original arch. It is flanked by statues of Churchill and Lloyd George , and the lobby also has statues of other statesmen — Attlee , Joseph Chamberlain , Balfour,AsquithandDisraeli— as well asmessage boards for MPs, their post office and the window of the vote office which supplies them with parliamentary papers. Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's designs for the Commons' chamber repeated the gothic style of the old chamber but in a simplified manner. It was decided to use the floor plan of the old chamber but to enlarge the galleries to provide more seating. Even so there are still only seats for some 420 MPs out of a total of 646, and when the chamber is full members have to find standing room or sit in the gangways. The refusal to enlarge the chamber was a deliberate

and successful attempt to retain a degree of intimacy for the many smaller debates when only a handful of MPs are present. Backbench members speak from their places, but spokesmen for the Government or official Opposition can put their notes on the despatch boxes on the table.
The furniture in the new chamber was given by members of the Commonwealth. Galleries above the Speaker's chair are for the press, and those opposite for 'distinguished strangers', peers, diplomats and the public. On either side of the chamber are the division lobbies used for voting. Other rooms nearby include the long suite of comfortable rooms overlooking the river which house the
Commons Library and the members' and strangers' dining rooms.

Westminster Hall ans St Stephen's Hall

From late 2006 most visitors will enter Parliament through Westminster Hall, the huge hall of the medieval palace that survived the 1834 fire largely undamaged and was incorporated into the New Palace. The architect also kept the original ground plan of St Stephen's Chapel, which had been the Commons' chamber for nearly 300 years, and on it built a new vaulted hall which has become the main public approach to both Houses of Parliament.
The walls of St Stephen's Hall are covered with a series of large murals on the theme The Building of Britain', installed in 1927. But perhaps of greatest interest are the brass studs set in the floor near the steps to the

Central Lobby which mark the position of the Speaker's chair and clerks' table in the old Commons' chamber.
Alterations to Westminster Hallwere limited to a remodelling of the south end to incorporate the hall into the main public approach to the building. The great south window was reglazed after bomb damage in the Second World War and contains memorials to members of both Houses who were killed in the conflict.
The structure is basically the Great Hall which William Rufus built for his Palace of Westminster in 1097-9. It was remodelled in 1394-9 by Richard II, who embellished it with the great north and south windows and statues of Saxon kings, some of which remain on display. The rebuilding was the work of Henry Yevele, the architect of Westminster Abbey, and Hugh Herland, who was responsible for the massive hammerbeam roof with its carved angels.
Westminster Hall played an important role as the place to obtain justice; by the end of the thirteenth century it contained the courts of Common Pleas, the King's Bench and Chancery.

Courts continued in the hall until 1825, when they moved into a new building along its west wall designed by Sir John Soane. This survived the 1834 fire, and was demolished only in 1882. Its replacement, approached by the flight of stairs at the north end, has been used since 1999 as a Chamber for extra Commons debates. Brass plates set in the hall floor record some of the many state trials held here as well as the lying in state of monarchs and their consorts, most recently that of HM Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002. A door from Westminster Hall leads down to the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, which was begun in 1292 and completed in the early fourteenth century. Its stonework had to be entirely renewed after the 1834 fire, and its restoration was completed in the 1860s under the supervision of E.M. Barry The Crypt
Chapel, as it is called, is now used by members of both Houses and their families for marriages and christenings. A new organ, based on designs by Pugin and built by William Drake, was installed in 1999.

The Speaker's House

The Speaker's House has some of the most splendid rooms in the New Palace. It is not open to the public but demonstrates a continuing use of part of the building as an official residence. Originally nine residences were provided for senior officers such as the clerks of the two Houses, and the Speaker's House, which was the largest and finest, alone retains this function.

Although part of it has become offices, and another section has been made into a private flat for the Speaker, the suite of State Rooms on the principal floor is still used for official entertaining and remains much as
completed in 1859. The main reception rooms are planned around a glazed cloister and include

a library (now part of the Commons Library), study, drawing room and dining room. Each room is hung with portraits of former Speakers, including Sir Thomas More.
A particularly sumptuous feature is the original State Bed specially made for the house by Holland and Sons in 1858 and described in their records as a 'a walnut and gilt Arabian bedstead'. Its existence seems to stern from a fascinating royal tradition that the monarch slept at the Palace of Westminster on the night before the coronation in Westminster Abbey. As a result specifications for a State Bedroom were included in the plans for the New Palace, but although the bed was installed it never fulfilled its honoured purpose.