Hotel near the Houses of Parliament London

The London Kensington Forum is the ideal choice of hotel accommodation for visitors to the UK’s Houses of Parliament.

Also known as the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament are home to the House of Commons and the House of Lords and the famous clock tower, Big Ben.

It stands on the site where Edward the Confessor built his original palace in the first half of the 11th century. In 1547 the royal residence was moved to Whitehall Palace, but the Lords continued to meet at Westminster, while the Commons met in St. Stephen’s Chapel.

Much of the old palace was destroyed by fire in 1834 and the magnificent Gothic masterpiece you see today was designed by Charles Barry and built between 1840 and 1888. Much of the Victorian detail of the interior was the work of Barry’s assistant, Augustus Pugin.

Entrance to Westminster Hall, one of the most imposing medieval halls in Europe, is permitted only as part of a guided tour. Otherwise it can be viewed from St. Stephen’s porch above. In this hall, Guy Fawkes was tried for attempting to blow up the House of Lords on November 5th 1605 and where Oliver Cromwell was sworn in as Lord Protector in 1653.

You can watch debates in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords when they are sitting. Entry is through St. Stephen’s entrance, where you can join a queue for the public galleries, known as Strangers’ Galleries. Debates in the Commons take place on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 2.30pm; Wednesday and Friday from 9.30am.

The busiest and most interesting time to visit is during Prime Minister’s Question Time on Wednesday from 12pm to 12.30pm. To attend this you must book a ticket through your MP or your embassy.

The House of Lords sits on Monday to Wednesday from 2.30pm. If a sitting takes place on Friday it commences at 11am.

Located in Parliament Square, the Houses of Parliament are a short bus ride or tube journey from the London Kensington Forum.