Stories from Westminster


A big shout out to our friends Cathy and Morgan from Ottawa, Canada.

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Twenty years ago we were invited to a long weekend BBQ at their place in Ottawa.  There were a number of people there who participated in a water fight (Oliver and I lost big time!).  Anyways, when we blogged that we were travelling through London, Cathy contacted one of the gents who was also at the party.  He happens to work at the House of Lords in London, and he graciously offered to show us around the Westminster buildings.

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Andrew told us a fabulous combination of political, artistic, local and royal stories which, made the building come alive! We could have listened to him for hours – his English accent was so engaging and he was so passionate about his work and history. I also loved how he involved the kids by asking them questions and their opinions, as well as physically getting down to their level.  The kids really came away with a better understanding of the aristocracy as he referenced the Malfoys (Harry Potter )as a prime example.  We were so grateful that he was able to spend the afternoon with us and take us on an amazing tour.

View from Westminster

(View from the back of Westminster)

Afterwards, I asked the girls their favourite parts.  All of us agreed it was one of our best travel experiences because we were able to see and learn so much in a small group setting.  Andrew was a great storyteller and each one of us enjoyed different parts of the tour.  Here are some of the favourites in no particular order.

(Please note photos cannot be taken within Westminster except for the Great Hall which is why you’ll see some original drawings.)

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Zoe – State Opening of Parliament by the Queen

Andrew asked the girls if they liked/did theatre and said that Parliament also has a play once each year with the Queen and the State Opening.  He took us through the Queen’s entrance and into her chambers where she would get dressed in her royal robes and crown.  He then led us into the House of Lords where the Queen’s throne sits majestically amidst the royal red room of government and where she reads the government’s proposals for the year.

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(original drawing by Zoe)

There is quite a ceremony to this event as once the Queen is ready to read the speech, the Black Rod goes to the House of Commons and knocks at the door three times.  The door is shut in his face and jokes are made by the government.  Then the Members of Parliament proceed to walk and talk on their way to the House of Lords where they listen to the speech while standing.  Even the PM doesn’t get a seat!

This tradition links back to the English civil war where the elected politicians were recognized to have more power than the monarchy.  But when welcomed into the House of Lords, they are humbled for the day and give way to the power of the Crown and their own history.

For me, this story was particularly interesting because it brings me back to my days of working in the Senate while at the University in Ottawa.  I’m hoping the girls will see the connections between our British and Canadian Parliamentary traditions and why we still follow them to this day.

Mikhaila – The King’s Champion

The last room we saw on our tour was Westminster’s Hall – both girls said it looked similar to the Great Hall at Hogwarts!  Mikhaila was particularly enthralled with the story about when Westminster was used as a Royal palace, the King would host coronation feasts in the hall with hundreds of invited guests.  It would be a “who’s who’ of the day.  At the opposite end of the hall is a gigantic door.  During the feast, the King’s Champion would ride through the door and throw down his gauntlet.  This means if there was anyone in the room who wanted to the challenge the coronation of the King, they would have to battle his champion.  Not too many people would be willing to go to such a battle, so it would cement the King’s role and power base.  Andrew did say that one time, a guest accepted the challenge – but he was quickly escorted out of the festivities!




Westminster Hall

Oliver – Oliver Cromwell’s Head

This is bit of a morbid story, so if you get queasy…skip this paragraph!

As many of you know, Oliver Cromwell was the government leader during the English Civil War.  He successfully defeated Charles the 1st and had him executed.  After his death, Cromwell was buried at Westminster Abbey. When Charles the 2nd was restored as the monarch, he wanted to send a message to others who might want to take on the monarchy, so as a show of power, he had Cromwell’s corpse dug up, chopped off his head and put it on a spike outside the entrance of the Great Hall.

Spike for Cromwell's Head

For years it stayed there, all shrivelled and dried up.  One night during a storm, it fell off the spike and a soldier picked it up and brought it home.  He kept it there for a number of years, until the family was asked to give it back.

Cromwell’s head is now buried at Cambridge University where he went to study.  Only one person at a time knows where it is buried so that it cannot be dug up again.

My Oliver kept wondering…what did the soldier do with the head – keep it on his coffee table as a centrepiece??

All of these stories and more kept us engaged for a wonderful afternoon.

Thank you to our friends for helping us contact Andrew while in London – it was such a great experience and opportunity to learn in a fun and meaningful way!

Thank you Andrew for your time and for sharing your incredible knowledge and passion.  We all thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent with you at Westminster – it was certainly a highlight of our time in England!


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(original drawing by Mikhaila)

 

 

 

 

 


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Comments

11 responses to “Stories from Westminster”

  1. What a fantastic opportunity to experience Westminster!! Probably a good thing you lost and didn’t beat Andrew in the water fight 😉 xox Mae

    1. Hi Mae,
      It was a great experience to see the Parliament buildings and all the background stories. Even though I hate losing at anything…this certainly worked out it our favour. It’s a good thing Andrew didn’t gloat too much about winning 20 years ago:)

      Cheers,
      Kat:)

  2. Harriet Johnston Avatar
    Harriet Johnston

    What a once in a life time experience! How fortunate you are to have had such an exclusive visit. I am really enjoying your posts and appreciate the history/geography/social science/culture/language lessons (as the case may be). You’re really making the most of your journey.
    Harriet (Kat’s Friend)

    1. Hi Harriet,

      Anytime you want to come and join us – we would love to have your company! You know so much about the area…I’m jealous you lived in the UK for 5 years. What a great experience for you and your family too!

      Love,
      Kat:) (Harriet’s friend)

      1. Harriet Johnston Avatar
        Harriet Johnston

        Hi Kat,
        Nice to hear from you. Thanks for the offer, but no plans to cross the pond in the near future. Yes it was great living in Scotland, learning about, and living a different culture. We loved our little seaside village and we still have a little flat we own and rent out in Broughty Ferry, Dundee. We hope in our retirement we can live in Scotland over the winters which are very mild and be able to offer the place to friends and family at other times of the year since Dundee has a train station that links to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Perth, and the London sleeper train also stops there. I also loved living in Edinburgh because I’m more of a big city girl. Luckily, Edinburgh is only an hour by train from Dundee so we have the best of both worlds. All the best in your travels.
        Harriet

        1. Hi Harriet,
          Glad to hear you held onto your flat! Next time we go to Scotland, we’ll be sure to visit with you, or let you know how your place is doing!
          Cheers,
          Kat:)

          1. Harriet Johnston Avatar
            Harriet Johnston

            Thanks Katina,
            Thought you’d be interested that our town “Broughty Ferry” has recently been named the “Nicest Neighbourhood in Scotland http://dundee.stv.tv/articles/288450-broughty-ferry-named-nicest-neighbourhood-in-scotland-2015/ and is the only Scottish town shortlisted along with 2 English towns out of 65 entrants for the “Great Neighbourhood Award” for the 2015 Urbanism Awards. http://www.academyofurbanism.org.uk/finalists-announced-for-2015-urbanism-awards/. So we didn’t expect our property to go up in value too much when we first purchased… but now we are hopeful give these recent accolades. As well Dundee (Broughty Ferry is part of Dundee) was relatively recently chosen as a satellite location for the Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum of Design – the first design museum built outside of London so a big honour – it will have a very artsy building on the waterfront designed by a Japanese architectural firm. http://www.vandadundee.org/about-us. So this will be a big draw to the city as well. So hopefully you can come for a visit next time you come out to Scotland.
            Harriet

  3. Karebear Avatar

    Hi Kat, Oliver, Mik, and Zoe:

    Wow – what an amazing tour you experienced with Andrew. Reading your post reminded me of my visit to London during my 4 over 5 – thanks for taking me back!

    Enjoying the posts of your travels! Sending huge hugs from Toronto- Karebear xoxox

    1. Hi Karen,

      Great to hear from you! It was an awesome experience…I hadn’t been in that building for 20 years, so a neat visit back for me too!

      Sending hugs right back to all!

      Kat:)

  4. Hi, Katina, we are a bit behind with our readings. We enjoyed this post especially, because it was so personalized. Loved the drawings too. It must be exciting to see these buildings where so much of history took place and is still used to this day. You were so fortunate to have this wonderful experience.

  5. Hi, Kat!

    I am way behind in my reading but have really enjoyed all the great posts!!! This one really reminded me of my trip to England a few years back. How wonderful to have a personal guide! I am sure that enriched the experience for the girls especially as he seemed to be able to connect so well with them!

    Ginny