One of the world's most famous buildings, the Palace of Westminster stands magnificently between the River Thames and Westminster Abbey. Generally known these days as the Houses of Parliament it is formally, as it has been for a thousand years, a royal palace which retains its royal name.

Let me be your guide to the fascinating history of the palace, beginning in the distant days of King Cnut and King Edward the Confessor....

AN ASIDE:

A Palace by a River has been one of my most popular talks since I launched it in 2016. However, during the "Brexit Year" of 2019, when the House of Commons was paralysed by Brexit, the public became so fed up with Parliament that I didn't get a single booking for the talk. Hardly surprising, really.

LEARN how Westminster became the seat of royal power after the Norman conquest;

DISCOVER how the first parliaments met at Westminster during the 13th century, and how the Lords and Commons eventually became established bodies;

HEAR how the Gunpowder Plot almost succeeded in killing King James I, and how his son Charles I became the only monarch ever to enter the House of Commons when he attempted to arrest MPs who dared to oppose him;

SEE the demise of the old palace in the fire of 1834, and the building of the new Houses of Parliament in stone brought by canal, river and sea from a quarry near Rotherham;

EXPERIENCE the shock of the air raid in 1941 which destroyed the Commons chamber.

LEARN about the proposals to relocate Parliament while the buildings are restored and renewed.

FINALLY, join me for a tour around the splendid buildings that now grace the site, and enjoy a little of the biting humour and wit of the House of Commons.

 Who is this unfortunate gentleman? 

Find out when you hear the talk!