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The Kettle
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The Houses of Parliament
Until about 1980 Blue Badge Guides could present
themselves at the Palace of Westminster (as the Houses
of Parliament are officially known) and add their name to
a guiding rota. Visitors would also join a queue and when
there were twenty or so folks assembled a guide would be
summoned like the next cab out of the rank and in they’d
go for a tour with the visitors paying the guide cash in
hand! Security concerns brought all this to an end for some
years but today groups can visit the Houses in Parliament
in one of two ways.
Member’s tours are available to UK residents, both
individuals and groups. They are free of charge and must
be booked through your local MP or a member of the
House of Lords. These tours are available when Parliament
is in session and if your MP likes you a lot or really wants
your vote your visit might even include an invite for tea
on the terrace.
You can find further details at www.parliament.uk.
Summer Recess & Saturday Public Tours
The other option is to book via Ticketmaster for a Blue
Badge Guide led 75-minute tour available daily in the
summer recess but also now on Saturdays throughout the
year. There is a sliding scale of group rates for ten or more
people depending on the time slot your tour starts at with
the cheapest being £8.25 if you can start between 9.15am
to 10.15am (which you probably can’t!), £10.00 if you
book a tour to start between 10.30am and 12.30pm and
£12.00 for slots in the afternoon up to 4.30pm. There is
a concession rate of £10.00 for senior citizens whether
visiting as individuals or groups so unless you can benefit
from the £8.25 time slots £10.00 is the most you will pay.
These prices might rise for 2013.
Tips For Visiting Parliament
Unless you are in line for tea on the terrace or some other
special treatment by arranging a private tour with your
local MP we’d suggest booking through Ticketmaster.
There isn’t a booking fee, beyond a one-off fee of £1.50
for postage. They will hold tickets for up to one month
before you have to pay for them but the latest you can pay
for them is one month before the tour. Tours set off every
five minutes which gives you an idea of how busy it is.
Generally speaking mornings are slightly quieter.
There is a self-service café inside which opens everyday
at 10.00am and you can use this before and after the tour.
It works best for a morning coffee stop before the tour
or a cuppa at the end of the afternoon. You can use it for
lunchtime but it limits you to soup, sandwiches and pasties
etc. There are about 25 shallow steps at the beginning
of the 75-minute tour and although you are on the flat
thereafter there are not many chances to sit down. You are
not allowed, for example, to take a seat in the Commons or
Lords! So for anyone who has trouble walking or standing
it is best to bring a wheelchair. They do have wheelchairs
on site that you can use if you arrange this in advance
and they are really very welcoming and organised with
wheelchair users. Another thing worth noting is that the
Blue Badge Guides on the Parliament tours will be thrilled
ONE TO DO ON YOUR OWN