Inside
El palacio de Westminster tiene cerca de 1100 habitaciones, 100 escaleras y 5 kilómetros de pasillos. El edificio es de cuatro plantas; la planta baja incluye oficinas, comedores y bares.
El primer piso (conocido como el piso principal) alberga las principales salas del palacio, así como cámaras, vestíbulos y bibliotecas. El Salón de la Toga (Robing Room), la Galería Real (Royal Gallery), la Cámara del Príncipe (Prince's Chamber), la Cámara de los Lores (Lords' Chamber), el Vestíbulo de la Nobleza (Peers' Lobby), el Vestíbulo Central (Central Lobby), el Vestíbulo de los Miembros (Members' Lobby) y la Cámara de los Comunes (Commons' Chamber) se encuentran distribuidos en línea recta en esta planta, de sur a norte, siguiendo el orden que se ha citado (el Salón Westminster está al costado de la Cámara de los Comunes, a un extremo del Palacio). Las dos plantas superiores están ocupadas por salas de reuniones y oficinas.
Antiguamente, el palacio estaba oficialmente controlado por el Gran Lord Chamberlain") (Lord Great Chamberlain) en su calidad de residencia real. Sin embargo, en 1965, se decidió que cada cámara sería responsable de sus propios salones. El Speaker y el Lord Speaker (antes el Lord Canciller) ejercen el control en sus respectivas cámaras. El Gran Lord Chamberlain conserva la custodia de ciertos salones ceremoniales.
The House of Lords
The House of Lords is located in the southern part of the Palace of Westminster. The abundantly decorated living room measures 14 by 24 m. The seats in the chamber, as well as the other furniture on the Lords' side of the palace, are red. The upper part of the chamber is decorated by stained glass and six allegorical frescoes representing religion, chivalry and law.
The upper part, the observers' gallery, has a small curtain, approximately 25 cm high. This was built in 1920 to hide the ankles and calves of the women attending the observers' gallery. Fashion was becoming more liberal, so the sight of female calves was deemed unsuitable by the lords.
At one end of the chamber is the canopy and the golden throne. Although the monarch could theoretically occupy the throne in any session of Parliament, he or she only uses it during the opening ceremony of Parliament. Other members of the royal family attending the opening ceremony settle into gala chairs near the throne. At the front of the Throne is the *Woolsack", a seat without backrest or arms filled with wool, representing the historical importance of wool trading. The Woolsack has been used by the delegate presiding over the House of Lords (the Lord Speaker") since July 2006, but historically it was the Lord Chancellor or a deputy). The House's ceremonial mace, which represents royal authority, is located behind the Woolsack. At the front of the Woolsack are the Judges' Woolsacks (large red cushions occupied by the Law Lords during the Opening Ceremony) and the House Table (where officials sit).
House members occupy red seats located on three sides of the chamber. The seats to the Lord Speaker's right form the Spiritual Side, and those to his left form the Temporal Side. The Spiritual Side is occupied by the Lords Spiritual (archbishops and bishops of the Church of England). However, the Lords Temporal (nobles) sit according to the party to which they belong: members of the ruling party sit on the Spiritual Side, while those of the opposition sit on the Temporal Side. Some Lords who are not affiliated with any party occupy the seats in the middle of the chamber on the opposite side of the Woolsack.
The House of Lords is the site of important ceremonies, the most important of which is the State Opening of Parliament, at the beginning of the annual parliamentary sessions. The Sovereign, seated on the Throne, gives his Throne Speech"), summarizing the Government's legislative agenda for the upcoming parliamentary session. The Commons do not enter the chamber, but can observe the events from the Bar of the House, located just above the Chamber. A similar ceremony takes place at the end of the parliamentary session, but normally the Sovereign does not attend this ceremony, being represented by a group of Lords Commissioners").
The House of Commons
The House of Commons is located at the north end of the Palace of Westminster. Its measurements are 14 by 21 meters. It is much more austere than the great Hall of Lords. The seats, like the other furniture on the Commons side of the palace, are green. Other parliaments in Commonwealth nations have copied the same color style, which associates the lower house with the color green and the upper house with the color red.
At one end of the chamber is the Speaker's chair, a gift sent from Australia. In front of the Speaker's chair is the House Table, a gift sent from Canada, where the officials sit and where the ceremonial gavel of the Commons is placed. On the table, there are two dispatch boxes (despatch boxes in English) that are gifts sent from New Zealand. There are green seats on each side. Members of the governing party occupy the seats to the right of the president or Speaker, while those of the opposition occupy There are no cross seats, as in the House of Lords. The room is relatively small, seating only 427 of the 646 Members of Parliament. During Prime Minister's Questions, some MPs stand at one end of the chamber.
By tradition, the British monarch does not enter the House of Commons. The last monarch to do so was Charles I (in 1642) when he came with the objective of arresting five members of Parliament, on charges of high treason. When the king asked Speaker William Lenthall about the whereabouts of these individuals, Lenthall famously responded: "If your Majesty pleases me, I have no eyes to see, no tongue to speak in this place except as may be ordered by this House, whose servant I am."
According to an apocryphal tradition, the two lines on the floor of the House of Commons are two swords that are about 30 cm apart. Protocol mandates that MPs cannot cross those lines during debates, to prevent disputes in the House.
Other traditions by members of parliament in the House include the prohibition of smoking tobacco since the 19th century. Members also cannot wear military medals or decorations, or put their hands in their pockets.
The Westminster Hall
Westminster Hall is the oldest part of the palace still in existence and was built in 1097. The original roof was supported by pillars, but, during the reign of King Richard III, it was replaced by a coffered ceiling (designed by Henry Yevele and Hugh Herland). The Westminster Hall is one of the largest halls in Europe with an unsupported ceiling and measures 21 by 73 m.
Historically, Westminster Hall has been used for numerous functions. Initially it was used in judicial functions. It housed three of the most important courts in England: the Court of Common Pleas (England) (not yet drafted), the Court of Common Pleas, and the Court of Chancery. In 1873, these courts were merged into the High Court of Justice, which continued to sit in Westminster Hall until it moved to the Royal Courts of Justice in 1882. Additionally, Westminster Hall has been used for numerous state trials, including impeachment trials and the trial of King Charles I at the end of the English Revolution.
The Westminster Hall has also been used as a ceremony room. From the 17th century onwards, coronation banquets in honor of new monarchs were held here. The last coronation banquet was that of King George IV (1821); his successor, William IV, abandoned the tradition because he considered it an excessive expense. Westminster Hall has also been used for state funerals and funeral ceremonies. This honor is generally reserved for the sovereign and his spouses. The only people who, despite not belonging to royalty, received this honor were Frederick Roberts (1914) and Sir Winston Churchill (1965). The most recent tribute of the body present was that of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in September 2022.
Both Houses of Parliament have made ceremonial addresses to the Crown in Westminster Hall on important public occasions. For example, the speeches presenting the twenty-fifth anniversary (1977) and fiftieth anniversary (2002) of Elizabeth II, the 300th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution (1988) and the fifteenth anniversary of the end of the Second World War.
Due to the 1999 reforms, the House of Commons uses a room near Westminster Hall (not the main room) as an additional debating room. (However, this room is usually recognized as part of Westminster Hall.) The room is shaped like an elongated horseshoe, contrasting with the Main Room, where the seats are located on sides facing each other. This model attempts to reflect the non-partisan nature of the debates held in Westminster Hall. Sessions in the Westminster Hall take place three times a week; However, these sessions typically do not discuss important or controversial issues.
Other rooms
There are many other important halls located on the first floor of the palace. At the southern end of the palace is the Robing Room, in which the Sovereign prepares for the State Opening of Parliament by putting on the official robe and the Official Imperial Crown. decorated with two enormous paintings by Daniel Maclise: The Death of Nelson (depicting the death of Lord Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar) and The Meeting of Wellington and Blücher (showing the Duke of Wellington meeting Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher at the Battle of Waterloo).
Nearby, on the south side of the House of Lords, is the Prince's Chamber, a small antechamber used by members of the House of Lords. The Prince's Chamber is decorated with paintings of members of the Tudor dynasty. Nearby, on the north side of the House of Lords, is the Nobility Lobby, where the Lords discuss or negotiate matters informally during sessions of the chamber.
The centerpiece of the Palace of Westminster is the Central Hall, octagonal in shape, next to the Toga Hall and which is also just below the Central Tower. It is adorned with statues of statesmen and with mosaics representing the patron saints of the United Kingdom: Saint George for England, Saint Andrew for Scotland, Saint David for Wales and Patrick of Ireland for Ireland (these mosaics predate the secession of the Republic of Ireland). Voters can meet their representatives in Parliament in the Central Lobby. Beyond the Central Lobby, near the House of Commons, is the Members' Lobby, in which Members of Parliament converse or negotiate on a particular topic. In the Members' Lobby there are statues of people who served as Prime Minister, including David Lloyd George, Sir Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee.
There are two libraries on the main floor, overlooking the river. One of them is the House of Lords and the other is the House of Commons Library.
The Palace of Westminster also includes apartments for the presiding officers of both houses. The Speaker's official residence is located at the north end of the palace, while the Lord Chancellor's apartment is at the south end. Each day, the Speaker and the Lord Chancellor take part in ceremonial processions from their apartments to their respective chambers.