Last week I welcomed another coach trip from the Moorlands to Parliament. After a Question & Answer session, we started the tour in the famous Westminster Hall, where the late Queen lay in state and where it is possible to see the 17th century State Coach used by Speakers for ceremonial occasions which is on display to commemorate the crowning of King Charles III.
The Speaker’s State Coach is believed to have been made for King William III and Queen Mary II in the 1690s. William’s successor, Queen Anne, is thought to have presented it to the Speaker of the House of Commons – who used it for royal events, including Coronation and Jubilee processions, and the journey from the Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey. It is the oldest of three great ceremonial coaches in Britain – the others being the Gold State Coach and the Lord Mayor’s Coach.
We then proceeded to Central Lobby and into the Members’ Lobby to see the famous statues and the door that Black Rod knocks on during the State Opening of Parliament. I took the group into one of the Voting Lobbies where they had the chance to see how we vote before going into the Chamber itself.
It’s always great to be able to explain about the Ministerial benches, the Despatch box, the Speaker’s chair and the Petition bag amongst many other interesting facts and things to see. We were also able to go into the House of Lords.
We finished with a visit to the famous House of Commons Terrace to enjoy the view across the Thames before everyone headed back to the Moorlands.
This coach trip was so popular, we were not able to accommodate everyone so I am organising another on 23rd June. Please do email me for more information.
