I sometimes take small tours around the Palace of Westminster. The Palace is a fascinating building - but very much a product of its time (as I discovered late last week when I needed to use the bathroom - two sets were out of action so I had to hike to the 1st Floor (which in Westminster's strange pattern is above the Ground Floor, the Principal Floor - and any basements)).Last Friday was the 175th anniversary of the Great Fire of Westminster - only Westminster Hall survived from the medieval palace. The Palace we know was built in the thirty years after the fire. [trivia facts for the day - its existing buildings containing nearly 1,200 rooms, 100 staircases and well over 3 kilometres (2 miles) of passages.]
On my tours I point out the many statues and paintings which honour some of the characters who played a part in the history of this building and institution. Prime Ministers and Lord Chancellors are well represented - some individuals who are long (and deservedly) forgotten - and some heroes of the struggle for a parliamentary democracy based on the rule of law.
The nobles who forced King John to sign the Magna Carta are honoured in the House of Lords - where their statues look down upon the current Peers. The great men who played a role in the battle against Charles I and his attacks upon Parliament are honoured - John Hampden can be found in St Stephen's Hall. Also in St Stephen's (built on the site where the House of Commons met in the 17th to 19th centuries) are statues of Charles James Fox - a supporter of the American Revolution; and Lord Somers - who presided over the drafting of the Bill of Rights. In the Lower Waiting Room (beyond Central Lobby close to the Members Dining Room) there are statues of John Bright - the campaigner against the Corn Laws; Keir Hardie; Oliver Cromwell and the founder of the National Health Service (actually his bust has been removed for restoration), Nye Bevan.
