Stories from Westminster

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

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.

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 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.)

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.

(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!

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 1^st and had him executed.  After his death, Cromwell was buried at Westminster Abbey. When Charles the 2^nd 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.

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!

(original drawing by Mikhaila)