After last week's news that the Houses of Parliament are to be surrounded with a "ring of steel" for fear of car bomb attacks, it is heartening to see that visitors to Westminster will still be made welcome this summer.
The sixth annual opening takes place from August 2 over the summer recess, when MPs and Lords do not sit in the debating chambers. In the absence of Blair and co, tourists can position themselves at the dispatch box and file through the voting lobbies - although any attempt to sit on the front benches will see them moved along sharpish.
The tours, led by specially qualified London Blue Badge guides, are an opportunity to take in the astonishing opulence of spots such as the Sovereign's Entrance and Robing Room, where the Queen arrives for the state opening of Parliament, and the Royal Gallery, where the massive frescoes of the battle of Trafalgar might prove of particular interest in the 200th anniversary year.
Although more than one guide could be heard joking in Westminster yesterday about MPs having a nice job - off till October! - they stress that the tours try to bust a few myths. Tom Hooper, a lawyer and Blue Badge guide, says they explain how only a small part of an MP's working life is spent in the debating chambers.
The functioning of the British parliament is a source of some bewilderment to foreign visitors, he says, who are particularly surprised by the adversarial design of the debating chambers. Many from the Commonwealth are also keen to see the portraits that line the walls, showing monarchs and prime ministers whose names were given to their cities and states. In the six years of opening, over 390,000 people have joined the tours.
According to Hooper, guides are keen to encourage people to visit throughout the year: not just on tours, but to see parliament in action. This can be arranged for UK residents through MPs but it is also possible to queue up on the day for admission to the visitors' galleries in the Commons and Lords.
This year's break will last a little longer as work is carried out to erect a new security screen in the Commons' visitors' gallery. The new screen, although designed to offer greater protection to MPs, will apparently be less intrusive than the current glass-and-wood structure, and allow visitors nearer the action.
A new exhibition also opened yesterday to mark the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot in Westminster Hall, the oldest remaining structure in the buildings, where Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators were put on trial. Artefacts on display include the lantern carried by Fawkes.
Way to go Tickets are available on the day outside or in advance (recommended) on 0870 9063773 from keithprowse.com/uk. Adults £7, concessions £5. Tours every day except Sundays and Bank Holidays from August 2 - October 5.
The Gunpowder Plot exhibition is open now until November 19, daily except Sunday. It is free and can be visited as part of the tour or accessed separately.
