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Parliament Tours

ELSA has arranged four guided tours of the Palace of Westminster. Maximum 20 people per tour.

DATES
Friday 22nd May, Arrive 9.35am to get through security (tours start at 9.44am)
Monday 22nd June, Arrive 8.50am to get through security (toursstart at 9am)

COST
5 pounds CASH - payable on the day!
(Members free)

DIRECTIONS
Nearest tube is Westminster (Jubilee, District and Circle lines)
Come out at exit 4
 

We will meet OUTSIDE parliament at the St Stephen's Gate entrance. Fees will be collected by the ELSA rep and your names will checked on the ELSA register.  If your name is not on the list, you willl NOT be permitted to join the tour. 

Places are strictly limited and all names will be cross-checked with the ELSA  Red List. The Red List contains the names of those who have previously registered for events (e.g court visits) but who failed to turn up. The Red List also contains the names of those with outstanding debts toward ELSA (e.g. if you attended the RCJ but did not pay the 3 pounds ELSA fee).

Parliament / Palace of Westminster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Westminster

THE PROGRAMME
These will be guided tours of the palace of Westminster, you will visit both the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The tour last about 75 minutes but afterwards you can also cross the road to visit the Jewel Tower (for free!) which is actually one of only two buildings which has survived from the medieval Palace of Westminster. It was built in around 1365 by Edward III to house his personal treasure and wardrobe, in which function it continued until 1621. From that date it was used to store the records of the House of Lords, a stroke of good fortune which ensured that these survived the great fire of 1834 which consumed the rest of the Palace with the exception of Westminster Hall. From 1869 until 1938 it became home to the official Weights and Measures Office.

Today the Jewel Tower is administered by English Heritage and house an exhibition, "Parliament: Past and Present, an account of Parliament's history and workings today. Normally there is a charge to visit the Jewel Tower but if you want to visit it after the tour and you go as part of the ELSA group, it will be free entry. Please indicate in your email whether you might want to visit the Jewel Tower so that we have an idea of the numbers (it's not very big!).

The Jewel Tower (wikipedia)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Tower

Edward III
http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/edward3.htm

Parliament / Palace of Westminster
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palace_of_Westminster