Parliament in Technicolor: Red, Green & Blue Explained
I was super excited for our visit to the Houses of Parliament. I've seen heated television footage of the chambers before so it is very intriguing to me. However, my visit to Parliament did not start off well. I got separated from my group in the Underground. My oyster card would not work at any of the turnstiles and neither would my credit card. It turned out that the turnstiles weren't working for anyone else, but by the time I got through my group was long gone. Long story short, I got myself to Parliament just in time for our tour.
When I walked into Westminster Hall, I was greeted with the view below. I only took a couple of photos and they did not turn out well, so I am borrowing from Wikimedia Commons. Additionally, no photos were allowed for the majority of the tour, so I am also borrowing for the chambers.
Our tour guide was named, Simon, and he made it clear from the get go that he had no patience for stupid tourists. However, he was an engaging and wonderful tour guide and led us through 1,000 years of history, which I will not recount here. He at least had 2-hours to do so.
Formed in 1099, after the Norman Invasion, Westminster Hall is the oldest surviving structure in the Palace of Westminster (the official name). Simon reminded us that this is a palace, but that the last King to reside here was King Henry VIII. The Great Fire of 1834 destroyed the old medieval palace and in 1841 a commission was established and chaired by Prince Albert to rebuild the Palace.
The most exciting part of the tour for me was being led into both the Houses of Lords and Commons and allowed to stand in the benches. However, we were given strict instructions to not sit down as we were not elected to do so. Simon was quick to reprimand another visitor, not from our group, who was sitting on a bench. He said, "We have so few rules and people just cannot follow them."
So, why is the House of Lords associated with the color Red and the House of Commons with Green? These associations have been around for hundreds of years. One theory is that the red dye is more expensive than green. As fancy-pants Lords, they had more money to decorate with the color Red than the Commons. You can see how the House of Lords chamber is much more elaborate with the red, gold, and intricate mill work than the subdued House of Commons. Furthermore, since the House of Lords hosts the Sovereign in their chamber, as you can see by the golden throne located at the head, a lavish space makes sense.
Simon discussed how the color Blue is associated with the Sovereign and could be seen throughout the Palace such as the blue carpet of the Royal Staircase, which is used for Parliamentary visits. Blue is associated with the Sovereign as the color is linked to the Order of the Garter, the blue wax of the Great Seal of the Realm, and the wearing of blue attire for Parliamentary and state events as advised by the Royal Book.
I'm getting a House of Commons vibe from this bathroom.
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