Photo by Mariam Eleshinnla Ighodaro
By Mariam Eleshinnla Ighodaro
London features prominently in many works of literature, from Pepys, through to Dickens and Ackroyd. The UK capital has profited from a succession of talented historians, novelists and commentators, who in their description of the great city, have given detailed accounts of its condition.
Fast forward a few decades and a new section of books has been published on the contemporary character of the city of London: such as Anna Minton’s Big Capital, Rowan Moore’s Slow Burn City, Ben Judah’s This is London, and The Last London, by Iain Sinclair.
One distinguishing feature that connects these otherwise excellent accounts of the UK’s capital is the noticeable omission of discussions about the city’s visitor economy. It is a very extraordinary absence, taking into account the scale and importance of tourism in London.
London hosts a very substantial visitor economy, and is known to be one of the most visited cities in the world in terms of international visits. The metropolis is famous for its range of notable tourist attractions, which is perhaps why it has enjoyed more than 20.42 million visitors yearly from 2018, not to include day trippers, which alone amounted to over 280 million visitors in 2015.
There are lots of beautiful places to visit in London, such as The Natural History Museum, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Hyde Park, National Gallery, Imperial War Museum London, St James’s Park, and the Palace of Palace of Westminster, which encompasses one of the world’s iconic clocks, popularly known as “Big Ben”.
Big Ben is located within the Elizabeth Tower, at the north side of the palace of Westminster. Just like the Eiffel Tower in France, this icon clock and bell is 106 years old.
One area of London which should be a must see or must visit is the City of Westminster, due to its iconic attractions such as Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Churchills and WWII war rooms walking tour, and the palace of Westminster.
Visiting the palace of Westminster is an experience. Residents of the UK can contact their local MPs to arrange a visit when both houses of parliament are sitting. However, members of the public do get free access to watch both houses of parliament, on days where both or either one of them (the House of Commons or the House of Lords) is sitting, to watch the parliamentary debates.
For the duration of recesses however, tours can still be arranged through MPs or via the parliamentary website. The Palace also arrange tours, which includes, multimedia guided tours, Big Ben tours and Speaker’s House tours, which are usually aimed at overseas visitors, who cannot normally arrange tours on sitting days. The tours are available in English and other languages.
Video by Mariam Eleshinnla Ighodaro
The area is filled with life, including people from all age groups, a lot of them with their phones and cameras out, all pointing to one particular building: The Palace of Westminster. It is in the building in which King Charles the 1st was tried and executed, it’s in the building that laws are made, and debated, it is this building that democracy as a form of politics is shown to the world.
Inside this iconic building encompasses Westminster Hall, built by William Rufus in 1097, which is one of the most iconic halls in the palace, a place where the law courts was held during the reign of William the conqueror, a place where great speeches has been given by prominent leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama, a place where Winston Churchill and Queen Elizabeth II lay in state. The roof of the hall is made from amazing craftsmanship.
Westminster Hall filled with tourists credit: Mariam Elleshhinsla
Next is St Steven’s Hall, which use to be the old Commons chamber, where MPs debate. It is beautifully lit, filled with sculptures, of MPs, including painting and a symbol where one of the suffragettes, chained herself to one of the statues in protest.
From this point is a another magnificent oval shaped hall, fitted with a huge bright looking chandelier. As the name suggests, it is where, as a citizen or resident of the UK, you can lobby your MP. Another point to note is that the central lobby is also the focal point of contact between journalists and politicians, where reaction to breaking stories could be gleaned, where new breaking stories would begin life and where journalists could be seen holding politicians to account. Also it’s where one can gain access to both houses of parliament, and the public galleries.
Credit: Mariam Elleshhinsla
Other parts of the Palace of Westminster that are open to tourists include both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the Princess chamber, Royal Gallery, Norman porch, and the Robbin Room.
Guided and multimedia tours were the most south out of all the tours however, there has been a lot of request for the big ben tours. The Speaker House tours are only available during recess, which is a period when MPs are on Holiday or break during parliamentary session where either houses of parliament seats to conduct its usual business.
Infographic by Mariam Eleshinnla Ighodaro
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