Houses of Parliament

Houses of Parliament

We were lucky enough to take a tour of the Houses of Parliament on a lovely Saturday morning. I felt guilty because I have never been to Washington D.C. and taken a tour of the National Capitol, Senate Gallery, Supreme Court House, Pentagon, or the White House for that matter and here I was excited to see the places of historical significance for Great Britain’s monarchial government.  

Queen Elizabeth II delivering the queen's speech in the House of Lords

The Houses of Parliament was a place built for power, royalty, and government. Once again I saw the deep-rooted tradition that the British are so proud to continue today. We walked through the rooms in the same sequence that the Queen would do at the State Opening. At the state opening the monarch proceeds through to meet the Prime Ministers and leaders from all ends of the globe and the politicians of the United Kingdom. We stood in the Queen’s powder room that has a vanity set up right in the middle where she prepares herself for the media. We went into the House of Lords where the Queen sits on her throne and reads the queen speech that is written by the Prime Minister. I stood right in front of the throne and could see through all the corridors and rooms of the parliamentary chambers- it was quite empowering. The House of Lords was the most decorated chamber with the three themes of religion, chivalry & Justice.  

House of Commons

The House of Commons was intriguing because this is where the political events take place, were bills become laws. Nobody in the entire room is allowed to speak unless if called upon by the “Speaker/ Madam Speaker” who conducts the meetings. There is a podium for the Prime Minister directly across from a podium for the leader of the opposition. Apparently the debates can get heated in here and the Sergeant of Arms has to take action. Our tour guide made some interesting comments. He said, “We don’t sit in a cozy circle like the rest of the world. The seating formation in the House of Commons is rigid and intentional because this is a place of confrontation and we often yell at each other.” I am not sure if yelling actually happens or if the man was just exaggerating, either way it’d be interesting to sit in on the debates.

Each meeting and event is started with a prayer. I realized how interconnected the Church of England is to the government. There are six different groups of people that make up the advisory board of Lords and one of those groups is the Lords of Spirit- all high positioned men within the Church of England. When we were ending our tour the guide said it best when referring to the history of the Houses of Parliament:

“If the inner walls and ceilings of this structure could speak to us- my would they have a tale to tell us.”