Houses of Parliament

On Saturday I arrived in London for a four night stay and immediately went on a guided tour of the houses of parliament. The reason I chose this tour is that I have become interested in Empire, rule and the elements that have contributed towards how our society has been in the past which now affects us today. Prior to my visit my interest seems to be towards human slavery which has been a key part of any Empire throughout history and is still a major issue today. This is something I will discuss further in another blog with my idea for a story.
The tour of Houses of Parliament was very interesting although very limiting in the use of photography etc for security purposes. The first thing that struck me was that Westminster is a palace, the decoration is very opulent especially within the Royal house and the house of Lords. The Royal gallery held two paintings created by Daniel Maclise which were of interest to me as I had already booked tickets to see the Waterloo Cartoon currently showing at the Royal Academy of Arts. Time has affected the finished painting and the scale of these works is rather lost in such a grand hall. However being able to see what the works were commissioned for and the place they would be hung gives more of an understanding of the importance of gaining such prestigious commissions.
Due to fires and wars many areas of the Houses of Parliament have had to be rebuilt, the roof/ceiling over the westminster hall is the only original structure remaining. This is one of the few places photos can be taken. Within this hall many banners display critical bills or pieces of history. There was one about the abolition of slavery which is shown below and highlighted to me that this is still an issue that exists today although generally more hidden than in previous times. This is brought to our attention by the mention of the Modern Slavery Bill detailed on the banner.