On Monday 24th March 2025, the members of Atwood’s School Council visited the Houses of Parliament. This is a recount, written by the School Council, of their experiences from the trip:
‘We started our tour at the Education Centre and made our way to the Sovereign Entrance which is the entrance the current monarch uses when visiting The Houses of Parliament. We were very excited to walk the same path that our king, and all previous monarchs since Queen Victoria, have walked. A few lucky ones even got to go in the Queen’s lift. We felt like Atwood Royalty!
We stepped into a grand room called the Robing Room. This is where the King puts on his crown and ceremonial robes before making his way to the House of Lords. This room was especially made for Queen Victoria and had the initials ‘VR’ carved and painted throughout the room. They even used real gold details through the room which was magnificent! When a member of the royal family visits, it takes three weeks to prepare the rooms for them!
As we continued, we found ourselves in the Royal Gallery which is the largest room in the Palace of Westminster. Here we saw amazing artwork from the floor tiles and wallpaper to the wood panelling and the ceiling! There were portraits of previous monarchs and their consorts from the present day, dating all the way back to Georgian times.
Our next destination was to the Division Lobbies, also known as the ‘Aye or No Lobbies’. This is where MPs cast their vote by walking through either corridor, showing if they are in favour or against.
Through this corridor, we found ourselves in the House of Commons where we got to experience how it would feel to be a real Member of Parliament.
Finally, we finished our tour in the House of Lords. In the House of Lords, there was a gold gilded throne that is reserved for the monarch. This room is only used for meetings with Lords and Baronesses. We learned that that Lords and Baronesses are chosen by the Prime Minister, unlike MPs who are voted for by the public.
We ended our visit with an amazing workshop about how laws are made. We were given the chance to experience how an idea turns into a law by following the journey of a bill through the House of Commons and House of Lords.
Overall, we are so pleased that we have discovered so much about the history of the Houses of Parliament and find out about all the work of UK parliament. It’s a trip that we will definitely remember!’
Many thanks to Mss Carlucci for organising the trip and to the staff and parents who helped out on the day.
