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Parliament Visits (February)Tuesday, February 2, 2010 from 8:40 AM to 10:30 AM (GMT)London, United Kingdom |
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Event Details
ELSA has arranged 5 guided tours of Parliament on Tuesday 2nd February 2010. These tours will run at 4 minute intervals from 8.40 onwards. Each tour will last approximately 70 minutes. After the tours, you are free to stay and watch some parliamentary business (debates, committee hearings etc). Please check the parliamentary calendar to see if anything is scheduled click here
These tours are conducted by parliament guides. Please note that whilst all guides visit the same areas, they all have different styles and focus on different areas of history. It is not possible to say in advance which group will get which guide. Some are more entertaining than others, some have louder voices than others. You just have to hope that you get a funny guide with a loud voice and no strong accent - in any case they are all trained and all very knowledgeable.
You will start off in historic Westminster Hall a medieval hammer beam hall- supposedly one of the largest in Europe - location of many of the great trials of English history - Thomas Moor, Charles I, Braveheart, Guy Fawkes etc. Westminster Hall was actually the King's court, the place of the King's Bench and the Chancery. As well as big trials, people could come there to petition. Because of it's huge historic significance, it is difficult to know what to do with the hall today. For this reason it remains a big, empty space.
Click here for background information about the Palace of Westminster (aka Houses of Parliament)
Houses of Parliament visitors' guide ( ← click here)
Please note we will meet outside the Visitors' Entrance / St Stephen's Gate entrance in front of parliament. You will know the entrance because there are big black concrete and metal crash barriers sticking out of the pavement
INFORMATION ABOUT ATTENDING DEBATES
INFORMATION ABOUT WATCHING COMMITTEES
WHAT'S ON IN PARLIAMENT (Calendar of meetings etc)
COST
FREE for ELSA members
£5 for non members, pay cash on the day of the visit.
The Jewel Tower
There is a small exhibition across the road in the Jewel Tower. The Jewel Tower is one of only two buildings from the medieval Palace of Westminster to survive to the present day. It was built around 1365 by Edward III to house his personal treasure and wardrobe, in which function it continued until 1621. From this 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 houses an exhibition, Parliament: Past and Present, an account of parliament's history and its workings today.
The second floor includes panels telling the story of this small but important building.
The remains of a moat and medieval quay are still visible outside.
VISITING THE EXHIBITION
If you wish to visit the Jewel Tower (for free) after your tour, just indicate this when you register. It's a very small building so places are limited.
London SW1A
When & Where
Parliament
Parliament Square
SW1A London
United Kingdom
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 from 8:40 AM to 10:30 AM (GMT)
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Hosted By
ELSA London
ELSA London was formed in February 2005. We are an independent, intercollegiate, not-for-profit, non-political Association of London Law Students. ELSA London is an inclusive association – we welcome under- and postgraduates, UK and international, full-time and part-time students. ELSA London does not discriminate on the grounds of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation. In particular, we encourage membership from those who have an international outlook or those who are interested in improving the world around them by becoming active citizens. ELSA (pronounced like the girl’s name) believes strongly in the protection of human rights and we encourage law students to become pro-active in this field by undertaking pro bono or voluntary work placements with human rights NGOs. We also support and promote the work of different human rights organisations and student societies as we believe that collaboration and co-operation is the way forward when human resources are spread so thinly.
ELSA London was the first intercollegiate association of law students. We welcome members from any of the 20+ law schools in London. Our aim in 2005 was to try to break down the barriers which exist between law students studying at different institutions and between postgraduates and undergraduates or between UK and international students. We believe in networking, in collaborating, in sharing information and opportunities. We hope that the networks we build whilst studying in London will be strong enough to survive into employment – wherever in the world that might be!
As well as gaining a further insight into legal issues within a wider, international context, ELSA London organises visits to courts, parliament, and the EU institutions. Our purpose is to add value to that which is studied at our law schools by enabling our members to participate in – and to organise! – extra curricular activities.