Houses of Parliament Tour

History and Politics A Level students made their way to central London to visit the Houses of Parliament. We made our way through to the Palace’s Great Hall, where Queen Elizabeth II lay in state a short while ago. Our tour guide took us off on our 90-minute tour of Parliament. Highlights were the Houses of Commons and Lords, as well as the Central Lobby.

Following the tour, we were met by the school’s constituency MP, James Cartlidge. Unfortunately, James was only able to stay with us for a very short period in the Great Hall, answering a few questions from students, before having to rush off for a meeting with the Chancellor. We were able to spend some time with Hannah, James’ Chief of Staff, who gave us an insight into her role and advice on how to get into politics. After this session ended, we made our way, via Downing Street, Horse Guards, St James’s Park and Buckingham Palace to lunch on the Strand.

With the weather becoming slightly duller, and an hour or so extra unexpectedly available, we made our way back across to Spitalfields Market for a quick bit of Christmas shopping before catching the train home. This was the second year in a row that the History and Politics Department had visited Westminster and James Cartlidge, and we look forward to running the trip again next year for our next cohort of A Level History and Politics students.