British parliament opens for tours after 20 years

Queen still not allowed unlimited access

The British parliament opened to the public Monday for the first tours in more than two decades

LONDON (Reuters) -- Queen Elizabeth is still barred from Britain's House of Commons, but not ordinary folk.

The British parliament -- a grand Victorian palace among the world's most beautiful government buildings -- opened for public tours Monday for the first time since an Irish republican bomb exploded on the grounds two decades ago.

No monarch has been allowed into the House of Commons since King Charles I entered the lower chamber of parliament in 1642 to demand the arrest of five of its members.

The five escaped across the River Thames, the king was later beheaded and it's been over three centuries since it all happened. But memories are long around the Palace of Westminster, as the Houses of Parliament are officially called.

Tour guides say they stopped taking the general public through parliament on tours after an Irish terrorist bomb killed member of parliament Airey Neave in 1979. The bomb went off on the ramp leading to the Commons' car park.

British citizens could always arrange tours through their members of parliament. But most international visitors had to line up for the "Stranger's Gallery" where they could watch parliamentary debates.

As public tours resumed Monday, tourists from around the world walked through the voting lobbies, gawking at the Speaker's Chair and standing where Tony Blair does each week as he sweats it out during Prime Minister's Questions.

It's part of an experiment in extending access to Westminster during the parliamentary summer recess. The 75-minute tour of the palace is on offer until September 16; parliament resumes in October.

The Queen is limited by tradition to certain parts of the palace. She arrives at the Victoria Tower each November for the state opening of parliament and sits in the House of Lords.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Weather: London
City Profiles: London
World Maps and Guides:England
Currency Converter

Inside four of London's most enigmatic house-museums
March 15, 2000
Pursuits: London restaurants cater to the unusual
July 1998
Destinations: Monumental minutiae (Big Ben)
September 1998
Destinations: London haunts
October 1997

British House of Commons
British Tourist Authority
U.S. Consular Information Sheet: United Kingdom
CDC Travelers' Health: Western Europe

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.