Palace of Westminster photo by G. Wilson

On 16 October 1834, a fire broke out in the Old Palace of Westminster after an overheated stove used to destroy the Exchequer's stockpile of tally sticks set fire to the House of Lords Chamber. In the resulting conflagration both Houses of Parliament were destroyed.

In 1836 after studying 97 rival proposals, the Royal Commission chose Charles Barry's plan for a neo-Gothic-style palace. This design was chosen to underline modern self-government's continuity with its medieval past. The foundation stone was laid in 1840. The Lords Chamber was completed in 1847 and the Commons Chamber in 1852. Although most of the work had been carried out by 1860, construction was not finished until a decade afterwards.

Big Ben photo by G. Wilson

Named after Sir Benjamin Hall, Chief Commissioner of Works, the bell was hung in 1858. The first bell cracked during a test ring and this second one has a slight crack. It is checked three times a week and is accurate to within one second.

The clock tower originally contained a small prison cell whose last occupant in 1902 was Emmeline Pankhurst. Emmeline's shenanigans as suffragette soured many including Churchill, for everyone knew the vote was too valuable to be wasted on women. Emmeline won out over Winston and is memorialized with a statue in Victoria Tower Gardens by the river on the south side of Parliament.

Emmeline Pankhurst statue (1857-1928) by A.G. Walker Unveiled in Victoria Tower Gardens on March 6, 1930 by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, photo by G. Wilson

The prime minister stated at the time of the dedication: "I say with no fear of contradiction, that whatever view posterity may take, Mrs. Pankhurst has won for herself a niche in the Temple of Fame which will last for all time."
["While the transition from martyrdom to sculptured memorial is familiar, the process in Mrs. Pankhurt's case has been unusually brief." NY Times]

Richard I by Carlo Marochetti Erected October 1860 on West side (Old Palace Yard) of Parliament Peers' Entrance photo by G. Wilson

Coeur de Lion (Cost 5000 pounds) photo by G. Wilson

Richard the Lionheart photo by G. Wilson

Entrance to Victoria Tower (323 feet high) photo by G. Wilson

Victoria Tower contains all Hansard Records including the master copies of all Acts of Parliament since 1497.

Queen's Entrance to Victoria Tower photo by G. Wilson

Royal Entrance to Victoria Tower photo by G. Wilson

The tour of the Palace of Westminster led off in Westminster Hall, the vast concourse that is the oldest part of the building. In the fire of 1834, Westminster Hall was saved, thanks to heroic fire-fighting efforts and a change in the direction of the wind.

Westminster Hall. photo by G. Wilson

This great hall was completed in 1099. National events of historic importance have taken place here since its inception. One of the most frequent of these is the lying in state of sovereigns. Each is marked by a brass plaque placed in the floor.

This plethera of plaques honours Edward VII 1910; George V 1936; Queen Mary 1953; Sir Winston Churchill 1965; Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother 2002; (William Gladstone, 1890) photo by G.Wilson

Plaques of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth photo by G.Wilson

This high honour is rarely accorded commoners, but exceptions are made. Prime ministers, whose service to queen/king and country has been extraordinary, are laid to rest in this historic hall, so that a grateful public may file by their bier and remember their greatness with gratitude. This ultimate honour was last given to Winston Churchill, a giant among men whose service to his nation and to the world may never be matched.

When darkness descended over Europe and England was threatened with the same black scourge of a power that seemed unstoppable, one man made the difference. In addition to the awesome magnitude of the mandate he'd been given and the constant worry of what was to come, he was being badgered by cabinet colleagues to humour Hitler with some signal of caving. Despite it all, Winston neither wavered nor weakened. Undaunted, he stood almost alone at that critical moment in opposing the slightest sign of sagging. He defiantly declared, to the laughter and the love of the people he led,

"Let him come. We are waiting and so are the fishes."

Winston Was Here photo by G.Wilson

Westminister Hall has been the scene of happy as well as harrowing events.

One of the former was the coronation banquet of Richard I. After being sanctified in Westminster Abbey as sovereign, Richard exchanged his heavy ceremonial robes for an elegant tunic and cloak and adjourned to Westminster Hall where he and 900 men sat down to a coronation banquet. By tradition no women were invited to the feast.

Richard I

No sooner had the festivities finished, than Richard set about collecting for the Crusades. It is no exaggeration to state, that he almost broke the country by siphoning off more money during his ten-year term, than during any previous ten-year period. He put everything up for sale and men holding positions had to pay to keep them. "I would have sold London could I have found a buyer."

A striking example of a harrowing happening was the trial of Charles I, king who lost crown, head and all in this hall. Meeting in Westminster Hall on January 27th 1649, the High Court of Justice declared Charles I guilty of treason and sentenced him to die, "by the severing of his head from his body"

Charles stood here when he heard the horrid sentence. photo by G. Wilson

The king's alliance with the Scots and his subsequent defeat in the Second Civil War, convinced Cromwell that the king must be brought to justice. He was a prime mover in the trial and execution of Charles I in 1649. In the process Cromwell presided over the demise of the monarchy in England, replacing it with a republic in 1649.

Very interestingly, Cromwell's ambassador to Switzerland was none other than John Pell, Geri's 8th great-grandfather. He was summoned home by Cromwell in the following letter.

Oliver Crowmell's Letter to John Pell

Oliver Crowmell's Letter to John Pell

On August 12 he boarded the Naseby and on August 13 set foot on English soil. On the 24th he went up to London and was prepareing to make his formal report to Cromwell when on September 3, th Protector suddenly died. "As a consequence Pell, instead of reporting to the Protector, attended his funeral on November 23 with a suite, having provided for him (Pell) on that occasion nine yards of 24 shillings per yard black cloth and six of 15 shilling black cloth."

The author of Charles' trial and tribulation, Oliver Cromwell, standing tall outside Westminster Hall by Sir Hamo Thornycroft photo by G. Wilson

This statue was unveiled 14 November 1899 without ceremony. it cost 3,000 pounds and was the gift of Lord Rosebery in the person of "an anonymous donor". From Parliament Cromwell looks across at the bust of Charles I on St. Margaret's Church. Found in a builder's yard, it was erected in 1950.

Charles I's lead head on St. Margaret's Church

Cromwell's Grave in Westminster Abbey

Cromwell ruled in such grandeur, that there was uncertainty about whether he would be a new Moses or new monarch. Many speculated he would soon be crowned king. But he died of malarial fever in September 1658 aged 59 and was interred in the abbey in a tremendous ceremony modelled on the funeral of James I. He was buried in the same vault as his son-in-law, Henry Ireton, one of those who signed the death warrant of Charles I and John Bradshaw, president of the High Court at the trial. The stone slab records simply "these [remains] were removed in 1661".

Removed they were! Cromwell's failed manipulation of that moment between monarchs resulted in his body being exhumed, ritually hanged and decapitated at Tyburn on 30 January 1661. His head was then mounted on a pole and put on public display outside Westminster Hall. His body was buried again in quicklime at the foot of the gallows. Cromwell’s severed head wasn’t buried until 1960 at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. Called by some one of the the most infamous figures in British history, Cromwell was elected as one of the Top 10 Britons of all time in a 2002 BBC poll. His name became infamous during the perilous period in 1940, when "Cromwell" was the codeword, warning that the German invasion of Britain was imminent.

For a few weeks only, visitors to Westminster Abbey can gaze on the second-last resting place of Oliver Cromwell, the grave which the Lord Protector occupied for less than three years before being dug up.

The stone slabs engraved in the 19th century with the name of Cromwell and his relatives are usually covered by a blue carpet bearing the RAF crest. Recently moths were discovered in the building's historic textiles. So the carpet has been lifted and sent off to be deep frozen to kill any grubs, leaving the chapel's extraordinary history exposed until the end of August.

History was made recently in this Hall when Pope Benedict XVI addressed all of the living prime ministers and Members of Parliament of Great Britain on 17 September 2010. He expressed his "esteem for the Parliament which has existed on this site for centuries" and called British common law tradition, "an inspiration to many around the world."

Sir Thomas More plaque in Westminster Hall photo by G. Wilson

The irony of the moment was not lost on the many present, for when the Pope spoke these words, he was standing not far from where fidelity to the Holy Father was once a beheading offence. It was here on 6 July 1535, Thomas More, former lord chancellor and Speaker of the House of Commons, was tried and later taken to Tower Hill and executed for refusing to recognize Henry VIII's marriage and his newly created Church.

Mother of Parliaments photo by G. Wilson

The Palace of Westminster is a huge place with over 1000 rooms. We were warned to stay close to our guide, for if we got lost, we might stray about and starve, for while there are 8 bars and 6 restaurants, none is open to the public.

It comprises two Houses of Parliament: the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

First to the House of Lords, chamber of an unelected body comprising: law lords, bishops, archbishops, life peers and some hereditary peers, the latter lords' number has recently been reduced. There is not sufficient room for all to attend and they rarely do at the same time.

House of Lords

The entrance to the House of Commons is heralded by statues of pugnacious Winston on the left and David Lloyd George on the right, prime ministers during critical times during the life of the country.

Entrance to the House of Commons

Believing Lloyd George looked a bit overwhelmed by Winston, it was decided that something had to be done. Little resulted after long thought by a committee headed by Churchill, so they simply opted to layer Lloyd and at least level him with Winston.

Across the hall from these two are statues similarly situated of Margaret Thatcher, first female PM and the "sheep in sheep's clothing", Clement Atlee. the "modest man who had much to be modest about." Clement had the last laugh with this bit of doggeral.

Few thought he was even a starter,
There were many who thought themselves smarter.
But he ended PM
CH and OM
An Earl and a Knight of the Garter.

We found the House of Commons to be surprisingly quite small, almost intimate. There are some 650 members, but only 500 or so can be packed in. Churchill said they did not want sufficient accommodations for all, because having it crowded gave every session a sense of tension, importance, even crisis.

House of Commons

Parliament and Westminster Bridge 3 Towers from left: Victoria; Central & Clock (Big Ben) photo by G. Wilson

Lion Guarding Westminster Bridge photo by G. Wilson

Celtic Warrior Boudicea at Westminster Bridge by Sir Hamo Thornycroft photo by G. Wilson

London Eye photo by G.Wilson

Exiting the Eye photo by G.Wilson

London Eye Sees All - Overlooking the great city photo by G.Wilson

Westminster, Lambeth and Vauxhall bridges photo by G.Wilson

Another Eye full of London photo by G. Wilson

Westminster Abbey Side Entrance photo by G. Wilson

Westminster Abbey is a breathtaking building, its stunning stained glass is glorious.

The scene of coronations since 1066, Charles II set out for Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661 to be crowned. Samuel Pepys, a patriotic patron of kings and queens, rose at four o’clock to squeeze his way into the abbey. There he saw: ,"the abbey raised in the middle, all covered with red, and a throne (that is a chair) and footstool on the top of it; and all the officers of all kinds, so much as the very fidlers in red vests." The Abbey is also the burial places of 17 monarchs.

Its RAF Chapel is the site of the original grave of Oliver Cromwell, now marked by a stone tablet which is usually covered by a carpet.

Westminster Abbey photo by G. Wilson

Madonna on door of Westminster Abbey photo by G. Wilson

St. Margaret's Church photo by G.Wilson

Atwood Plaque in St. Margaret's Church photo by G. Wilson

Altar of St. Margaret's Church photo by G. Wilson

Sir Walter photo by G. Wilson

Within the Chancel of this Church was buried
the body of the
Great Sir Walter Raleigh, Kt.
on the day he was beheaded
In old Palace Yard. Westminster
October 29 Anno Dom 1618

The swashbuckler, Sir Walter, whom Queen Elizabeth nicknamed, "Water," was sent to the tower for marrying one of her ladies-in-waiting Bess Throckmorton. He was later released. After Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, Raleigh was again imprisoned in the Tower, this time allegedly for being involved in the Main Plot against King James I, who subsequenly found little to like in this national hero. In 1616 Walter was called upon to conduct a second expedition in search of El Dorado. The search was unsuccessful

Raleigh's men then proceeded to do what he had been warned not to do: ran amoke and ransacked a Spanish outpost. On Raleigh's return to England, the outraged Spanish ambassador howled for his head. Failing to flee to France, Raleigh was again sent to the Tower. King James ordered him executed under the original sentence of treason passed many years before. Raleigh's final words were: "Strike, man, strike!"

When discussion took place regarding a home for parliament after the fire in the old Palace of Westminster, King William IV offered the almost-completed Buckingham Palace to Parliament, hoping to dispose of a residence he disliked. The building was considered unsuitable for parliamentary use, however, and the gift was rejected. It became the offical residence of the monarch in 1837, when the newly-crowned Victoria became queen.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace photo by G. Wilson

Front Gate to Buckingham Palace photo by B. Wilson

Entrance to Buckingham Palace facing Victoria Memorial and the Mall photo by G. Wilson

Victoria Memorial by Thomas Brock for which he received 100,000 pounds. photo by G. Wilson

Unveiled in 16 May, 1911 by King Geoge V, its design is a complex allegory. Its marble base with its ship's prow symbolizes British sea power. The two figures with their attendants represent, Truth winged and holding a mirror and Justice winged and holding a sword. Motherhood faces the palace. Over all are gilded Courage, Constancy and the Winged Victory.

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Copyright © 2008 W. R. Wilson