In an excursion somewhat closer to home, we visited the pop-up restaurant inside the Palace of Westminster to celebrate my birthday. Parliament opens one of the dining rooms on a limited basis for the public to get a glimpse where Members of Parliament (MP’s) dine while on duty.
Before being allowed into the grounds of Parliament, visitors have to go through what is described as “airport-style security” complete with long lines and waiting time. Once inside, however, you’re free to wander around at your leisure, within obvious limitations of course.
The Palace of Westminster (the iconic building at the heart of the UK Parliament) is currently undergoing restoration work which is detracting from the aesthetics for a couple of years, but only certain areas are affected at any given time.
At over 900 years old, Westminster Hall is the oldest building on the Parliamentary estate. It’s an impressively large hall even by modern standards, which is even more impressive when you consider how long ago it was built. For a long time it was the largest hall in Europe, and the ornate hammer-beam roof is still the largest medieval timber roof in Europe. Alas, this hall is currently hosting some renovations that obscure large parts of it, but it’s scale is still evident.
At the back of Westminster Hall, you ascent some steps to the entrance to St Stephens Hall.
St Stephens Hall is lined with marble sculptures of notable government figures from previous centuries.
This hall leads to the very impressive Central Hall (where photos are not permitted unfortunately), which is the centre of the Palace. The passage to the north leads to the House of Commons while to the south is the House of Lords.
Walking in a “neutral” direction to the East, we were led to the Peers Committee Room Corridor, where we checked our coats alongside those of the MP’s. Parliament was still in session well into the evening with votes taking place, so the corridors were busy with people coming and going to the chamber.
The night we visited the restaurant was using the Strangers’ Dining Room. This was originally a Peers’ committee room, which was later transformed into a dining facility around 1867, and renamed the Strangers’ Dining Room. When Parliament is in session, the room is used by Members to meet their guests and these visitors are referred to as “Strangers”.
The Members’ Dining Room is the alternate room that can be used on other dates. It was created a few years later in 1871 following demands for more dining facilities. It has a capacity roughly three times that of the smaller Strangers’ Dining Room.
Dining at the House of Commons is sold as a very British affair with the promise of courteous service and top end British cuisine. Classic styling comes in the form of white tablecloths and political themed art decorating the walls. High painted ceilings, large windows that look out over the Commons Terrace and River Thames, and carved oak panelled walls give these dining rooms a feeling of historical British grandeur.
The Strangers’ Dining Room was refurbished in 2006 with new wallpaper, carpeting and stencilled ceiling panels to reinstate the original specification for the room that had been covered up over the course of more than a century.
On the wall, a painting of Chevening House (in Sevenoaks, Kent). The Prime Minister is responsible for nominating who occupies the house, this is frequently the Foreign Secretary.
Pleasingly, Parliament chooses to use the charitable water brand Belu rather than a for-profit multinational supplier. They also have their own bottles of wine and Champagne.
The 3 course menu was British themed, as you would expect given the location. The food was very good, especially when you consider it’s prepared by the in-house catering service that feeds hundreds of government officials throughout the day.
We thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and would definitely recommend it. The novelty of the location doesn’t disappoint and makes for an interesting and memorable night out in London.
Links
Parliament Pop-up Restaurant – www.parliament.uk
Jan & Warren's Spot 