Description: The majority of the material for this review comes from the trip my girlfriend and I took to the Houses of Parliament in 2012 (this trip only took in the exterior as we were unable to gain access for a tour), but will also feature snippets from a school trip over 15 years ago when we were taken on our tour by our history teacher and on which we learned countless fantastic tidbits of knowledge concerning both houses.
The trip to the Houses of Parliament would prove to an interesting, but also frustrating jaunt for my girlfriend. She was delighted to see such a famous sight, but quickly grew tired of my ‘fascinating’ snippets of knowledge. She seemed interested when I informed her that ‘Big Ben’ was actually named after the bell rather than the tower it is housed in. She also seemed to tolerate my rather lengthy description of the 1605 Gunpowder Plot in which Guy Fawkes and other Catholics attempted to blow up the houses and install a Catholic monarch on the British throne. However, by the time I got to the fact that the benches in the House of Commons were situated just far enough apart to make it impossible for the members to reach each other with a sword, I could tell she was waning. By the time I explained that the benches contain speakers for some of the older members, she was lost.
Even though we could not make our way inside, the Houses were a fantastic sight. Naturally, we were impressed by both the view and sounds of Big Ben. It is such a well-known landmark that I expected to be somewhat blasé about seeing it. However, despite the familiarity, I was still impressed when it slipped into the view. The way it towers over the banks of the Thames is wonderful. I also could not help but enjoy listening to the resounding bongs as it chimed nine o’clock.
The aspect of the Houses of Parliament that grabbed me much more on my recent trip than when I visited before was the vast amount of detail in the building. The windows and stonework are magnificently well appointed and look just splendid. It almost beggars belief that such craftsmanship was done by hand over half a millennium ago and has stood the test of time so well. To enjoy this as best as possible, we walked onto Westminster Bridge where we were able to get a fantastic view of the side of the Houses that backs right onto the Thames. It provided a magnificent view and was the perfect place to snap a few wonderful photos.
The Houses of Parliament are open to the public at times – you can even sometimes watch sessions of Parliament. However, their exterior is available 24/7 and is truly stunning, particularly on the hour when Big Ben chimes. The Houses are conveniently served by Westminster underground station.
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