HMS Belfast
 Morgan's Lane, Tooley Street, SE1 2JH, Tel 020 7940 6300, Website: www.hmsbelfast.iwm.org.uk, Open:
10am-6pm daily from 1 Mar to 31 Oct and from 10am-5pm from 1 Nov until the end of Feb. Closed 24-26
Dec and on 1 Jan, Admission: £10.30 adults, Children under 16 Free, £7.20
seniors and students, £6.20 Unemployed (in receipt of benefits), Tube: London Bridge/Tower Hill,
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Permanently moored near Tower Bridge in the Pool of London, the cruiser HMS Belfast is an
impressive example of a Second World War fighting ship.
Weighing in at over 10,500 tonnes, the Belfast was launched in March 1938 just
over a year before the outbreak of hostilities in Europe. Having played an important part in the
sinking of German Cruiser Scharnhorst (during the Battle of North Cape), her twelve six-inch guns,
mounted on four turrets, also provided covering fire for Allied troops during the Normandy
Landings.
As well as serving in World War II, the ship also saw action in the Korean
War. Indeed, the Belfast remained part of the Royal Navy Fleet for 27 years until 1965 (before
being saved from the scrap heap and moved to her current location in 1971).
Having recently benefited from a new coat of camouflage paint, the ship's
seven decks, which include the Bridge and Engine room are open to the public. As some of the ship's
stairways are quite steep, it's worth exercising caution during your visit, particularly with
youngsters.
In addition, the Belfast's gun turrets and ammunition magazines can also be
visited. Interestingly enough, they're trained and elevated onto the M1's London Gateway Motorway
Services at Scratchwood (some 12.5 miles away). Fortunately, facilities there have improved in
recent years, although if you do have a dodgy burger, it's a fact well-worth knowing. London
Pass Accepted Here.
 Whitehall, SW1, Mounting of the guard daily at 11am, 10am Sun (in
summer), Dismount ceremony daily at 4pm, Tube: Westminster,
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Built in 1745 to house the guards of the old royal palace at Whitehall, the Horse Guards building
is today used as a base from where the Queen's Foot Guards and Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment
(a union of the Army's two oldest regiments The Life Guards and the Blues and Royals) perform
ceremonial duties. Two foot sentries guard the low arch, while two further mounted troopers guard
the main arch. In addition, at 11am (10am on Sundays) the Changing of the Guard takes place, this
time with a squad of twelve troops who arrive from Hyde Park Barracks. Come 4pm, the chief guard
inspects the troops before finally allowing them to stand down at 5pm.
Taking place daily throughout the summer, it's a colourful part of British
pageantry and certainly one that's made all the more impressive when Horse Guards Parade is used
for the Trooping of the Colour. This ceremony, which takes place annually on the Saturday closest
to the Queen's Official birthday (June 6th), dates back to the early 18th century. Originally, the
regiment's colours were carried (or 'trooped') down the ranks so as to be recognised by
lower-ranking soldiers. It's also customary for the sovereign (Queen Elizabeth II) to salute and
inspect the troops before both regiments march past her. Continuing on to Buckingham Palace, they
then salute Her Majesty again (this time in residence) before returning to barracks.
Houses of Parliament (The Palace of Westminster)
 Parliament Square, SW1, Tel: 020 7219 4272, Website: www.parliament.uk, Tube: Westminster,
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If you can't get tickets for Les Misérables, Phantom or Chicago, then you could do worse
than queue to watch Parliament in full swing. Unlike its West End equivalents, the seats are free,
the script changes with each performance and the costumes (at least in the case of the Speaker,
clerks and officers of the Houses) are just as outrageous.
On a good day, the Houses of Parliament provide the best theatre anyone could
wish for. Highly charged performances of passion, wit and verve, which are almost always met with
endless heckling or the ubiquitous Westminster cry of "Here, Here!!"
Construction work on the original Palace of Westminster began in the mid-11th
century for the English King, Edward the Confessor. The only part of the original structure to
survive today is the Westminster Hall. Originally built as a Royal residence, the Palace of
Westminster became the nation's seat of government in the 16th century. It was here in 1605 that
Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators failed in their attempt to blow up both King and Parliament in
what has historically become known as the 'Gunpowder plot'. The event is remembered on 5th November
each year on fireworks night (a.k.a. Guy Fawkes night) with large displays in many public parks.
The centrepiece of these events is normally a huge bonfire on which an effigy of Guy Fawkes is
placed and burnt.
A terrible fire in 1834 destroyed most of the Palace (apart from the
Westminster Hall and Jewel Tower) and the Gothic style structure that you see today is mainly
the work of the architect Charles Barry. The familiar bell tower, known to Londoners and tourists
alike as Big Ben, was constructed as part of the rebuilding.
With the Palace of Westminster today more commonly known as the Houses of
Parliament, there are two chambers; the House of Commons (in which Members of Parliament who are
elected by the people sit) and the second Chamber, the House of Lords. The latter has recently been
partially reformed to remove hereditary peers, replaced instead by nominated life peers (people who
receive a title which cannot be passed on to their children). However, the Lords that remains is
still not chosen by plebiscite, so the proposed vision of a second, elected Chamber (similar to the
Senate in the US) is still some way off. However, many see the House of Lords fulfilling a useful
role as a bulwark against the "excesses" of the House of Commons, with a number of Government Acts
being held up or amended by the Lords.
The public galleries in both Houses are open when Parliament is in session.
However, unless you're invited along by an MP or happen to be a Civil Servant (attending on behalf
of your Department), it's more than likely you'll have to queue for a while, with no guarantee of
entry. Oh, and by the way, if an MP shouts "I spy strangers" leggit!
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