How to get here
The Houses of Parliament are located in Westminster, central London, and are well-served by all forms of public transport.
The address is Houses of Parliament, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA.
You can find more detailed guidance about the easiest ways to reach Parliament at the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/directions/
The attached map will also be of assistance. The Cromwell Green Visitors' Entrance is marked no.8.
Please note that all visitors have to pass through airport-style security in order to enter the building and that at peak times there can be queues. For that reason, it's generally advisable to allow at least 20 minutes for this process.
Security guidelines governing access to Parliament can be found at the following link: https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/access/security/
You don't need to bring ID with you.
Members’ Tours
Jonathan is always delighted to welcome his constituents to Parliament and is very happy to arrange a tour of this beautiful and historic building.
When the House is sitting, members’ tours take place on Monday mornings between 9am and 12pm and last for approximately 75 minutes. It’s also occasionally possible to conduct tours on Fridays when the House isn’t sitting. Unfortunately, it isn’t possible to arrange tours outside those times as the House is a functioning building and public access is necessarily restricted.
Members’ tours are free and conducted by a very experienced and knowledgeable team of guides who will introduce you to Westminster Hall, the ancient hall at the heart of the Palace where Parliament first sat and where many historic events have taken place; the House of Commons, including the Speaker's Chair, famous green benches and the 'lobbies' where MPs actually vote, the House of Lords, including the Royal Throne, the Queen's Robing Room, Royal Gallery and many other fascinating parts of the Palace of Westminster.
In order to book a tour, please contact Jonathan at jonathan.lord.mp@parliament.uk providing your full name and postal address, a telephone contact number, the number of people in your party, and any convenient dates.
Please note that tours of Parliament are very popular and tend to become booked up quite far in advance. Therefore, while there’s always a possibility of cancellations, it’s advisable to request your tour as far in advance as possible to ensure that spaces are still available on your preferred date.
Alternatively, if the above times don’t suit, you can join a commercial tour of Parliament. You can find more information, including how to book these tours at https://www.parliament.uk/visiting/visiting-and-tours/tours-of-parliament/
Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben Tours
Tours of Elizabeth Tower and Big Ben are now suspended due to an extensive repair and refurbishment programme. Tours are expected to resume in 2021.
Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs)
The Prime Minister answers questions before the House of Commons every sitting Wednesday and it’s possible for members of the public to watch the session from Strangers’ Gallery. Every MP is allocated two tickets to PMQ sittings on a rotating schedule, usually between two and three times a year. For that reason, tickets for PMQs are extremely hard to come by. Please contact Jonathan at jonathan.lord.mp@parliament.uk in order to request tickets, but do anticipate a wait!
If you don’t feel like waiting, it’s possible to watch other parliamentary sessions, including Parliamentary Questions during which Government Ministers answer questions relating to their departmental portfolios, in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Tickets are generally much easier to organise and, once again, can be requested by email as above.
School Visits
Jonathan is always particularly eager to welcome school groups to Westminster. Every year, hundreds of school children are introduced to Parliament by the in-house Education Service which, in addition to a tour of the building, provides interactive, age-appropriate workshops which aim to give pupils the chance to learn more about our political system.
All bookings are made directly with the Education Service by telephone, at least one school term in advance. Any teachers interested in booking an educational visit should go to www.parliament.uk/education/visiting-parliament