accidentally damaged .
The walls of St Stephen ’ s Hall are decorated with paintings showing important events in Britain ’ s history . This painting shows King John , confronted by his Barons at Runnymede , unwillingly agreeing to sign the Magna Carta in 1215 . This legal charter was the first step in asserting the importance of developing the constitutional rights of the people against the monarchy . court in the UK until the creation of the Supreme Court in 2009 .
Currently , there are about 825 members who are eligible to take part in the work of the House of Lords . The majority are life peers , often with no political allegiance , chosen for their knowledge and experience outside the House , for example , Lord Alan Sugar and Stephen Lawrence ’ s mother . Others include 26 archbishops and bishops and 92 hereditary peers .
The royal throne stands at the far end of the Chamber on a raised platform . Designed by Augustus Welby Pugin , it is based on the 14th century coronation chair in Westminster Abbey . The Queen delivers her ‘ speech from the throne ’ in the Chamber during the State Opening of Parliament . A second slightly smaller throne , made for Queen Alexandra in
1901 , is installed alongside the principal throne when the Duke of Edinburgh is present .
We then visited the beautiful St Stephen ’ s Hall . The Hall matches the dimensions of what had been St Stephen ’ s Chapel . The debating Chamber of the House of Commons for almost 300 years witnessed important debates that have shaped history , including the Great Reform Act of 1832 and the Abolition of Slavery in 1807 . The chapel was destroyed in a fire on 16 October 1834 and the Hall built in its place .
The Hall is lined with 12 marble statues of famous MPs facing each other , as in debate . On 27 April 1909 , the police had to use bolt cutters to remove a suffragette who had chained herself to the statue of Viscount Falkland , during which the spur of the statue ’ s right foot was
We finished our tour in Westminster Hall , the oldest existing part of the Palace of Westminster . Completed in 1099 by the Norman King William Rufus , it was designed to provide a magnificent setting for feasting and entertaining . In 1237 , King Henry III fed 6,000 poor people in the Hall during the coronation celebration for Queen Eleanor .
The Hall was primarily used for judicial purposes , housing the Court of King ’ s Bench , the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of Chancery . In 1875 , these courts were amalgamated into the High Court of Justice , which continued to meet in Westminster Hall until it moved to the Royal Courts of Justice in 1882 . Westminster Hall also housed important trials , including those of William Wallace , Thomas More , Cardinal John Fisher , Guy Fawkes , the Earl of Strafford , the rebel Scottish lords of the 1715 and 1745 uprisings , and Warren Hastings . It was here that King Charles I was sentenced to death in 1649 . Following the restoration of the monarchy and 11 years after his execution , the men who had condemned him were themselves tried . Oliver Cromwell ’ s body was exhumed and his head stuck on a pole on one of the Halls towers , where it remained for over 20 years .
Westminster Hall has also served ceremonial functions . From the twelfth century to the nineteenth , coronation banquets honouring new monarchs were held here . The Hall has also been used for lyings-in-state during state and ceremonial funerals , the most recent being the Queen Mother in 2002 .
Parliament is open to all UK and overseas visitors to attend debates , watch committee hearings or take a tour inside one of the world ’ s most iconic buildings . Tickets for various tours of the Houses of Parliament are available either online or by contacting your local MP
By Gail Waller
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