A Walk Along the Corridors of Power - Whitehall and the Houses of Parliament - 2.3 Km
- philip carey
- Aug 16, 2022
- 6 min read
Updated: Aug 16, 2024
Start at Charing Cross Station
Finish at Westminster Station on Parliament Street
THE EXPERIENCE
This route takes you on a visual journey through some of London’s most famous iconic sights, which are rich in history and have been the seat of power for over a thousand years. This area has seen many changes in the last 1000 years and today is home to the UK Government, but it was initially the home of two Royal Palaces.
Great for history, iconic sights, hotels, transport links, places of worship, art galleries, museums, government buildings, and theatres, with a few places to eat, drink and be merry
MUST SEE PLACES
What to See List
1. The National Gallery
2. Trafalgar Square
3. The Mall
4. Horse Guards Parade
5. Whitehall - 10 Downing Street
6. St James Park
7. Westminster Abbey
8. Houses of Parliament
9. Westminster Bridge
10. River and London Eye Views
PLACES TO EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Areas to Eat, Drink and Be Merry List
1. Charing Cross Station
2. Villers Street
3. Leicester Square
4. Whitehall (North End)
5. Northumberland Avenue
6. St Martin’s Lane
7. Victoria Street – Cardinal Place
8. St James Westminster
9. Royal Festival Hall
10. (Old) County Hall
Overview of the Area
Despite this area being the defined ‘Centre of London’ and the centre of Governments, it only has a few places to eat, drink, and be merry., and these tend to be around Charing Cross and Embankment Stations.
Area Highlights
There are several museums and art galleries at the start of this route. The most obvious ones are the National Gallery and National Portrait Galleries just north of Trafalgar Square. The Mall Galleries and the Institute of Contemporary Arts ICA are nearby on the Mall, and the Household Cavalry Museum is just inside Horse Guards Parade. The Benjamin Franking House Museum is also nearby on Craven Street.
There are three theatres south of Trafalgar Square – The Trafalgar, the Playhouse, and the smaller Charing Cross Theatre in the Arches in Villiers St. There are plenty more just along the Strand, towards Leicester Square and west near the Haymarket and Piccadilly.
There are 14 Pubs and 13 bars along the route, with most pubs around Whitehall, Trafalgar Square, and William IV Street. Most bars are in top hotels such as The Trafalgar, The Hyatt, The Corinthia, The Royal Horseguards and The Clermont. However, there are also a few around Villiers Street and Northumberland Avenue.
Two new 5-star hotels have recently opened/ plan to open along the route. These are Raffles London on the Old War Office on Whitehall, and the Waldorf Astoria in Admiralty Arch (opening in 2025)
You can also get afternoon tea at these top hotels and the National Café in the National Gallery.
St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Crypt have regular musical events, as do a few bars such as Players Bar and Kitchen.
There are two (gay) nightclubs nearby, Heaven and Circa Embankment, and two pubs/bars, the Halfway to Heaven and the Retro.
Covent Garden and the Strand to the north-east and Leicester Square, Soho and Chinatown to the north-west are nearby places for entertainment and eating and drinking.
Links to nearby Eat, Drink and Be Merry Routes.
Waterloo and the South Bank – which covers the main attractions on the south side of the river between Westminster Bridge and Waterloo Station.
Around the Centre of London – which covers the attractions and places to eat and drink around Charing Cross
https://www.photoruns.com/post/centre-of-london-sightseeing-eat-drink-and-be-merry-photorun
Westminster St James to Victoria – which covers the main iconic sightseeing areas to the north side of the Thames and the best places to eat and drink going west from Westminster Abbey towards Victoria Station
BEST TIME
Morning - The best time to do this route is on weekends in the early morning when it is quiet and free from crowds and heavy traffic..
Day - Trafalgar Square and the Houses of Parliament are the busiest places during the day.
Evenings - Quiet
ROUTE OVERVIEW
Starting in the heart of London, the route goes toward Trafalgar Square via one of London’s oldest churches (St Martin-in-the-Fields) and passes the National and Portrait Galleries. From there, it travels through Admiralty Arch and The Mall before turning left toward Horse Guards Parade. The route continues onto Whitehall, with its historic government buildings, before turning down King Charles Street towards St James’s Park and the Churchill War Museum. The tour then heads off towards Westminster Abbey before finally culminating in Parliament Square, next to the Houses of Parliament,
Route at a Glance Video.
Charing Cross to the Houses of Parliament (2:26)
These links open in a new tab.
DESCRIPTIVE PHOTO GALLERY
This gallery provides a descriptive and visual reference to many sights along this route. Use the Google Map above to find their location. Double-click to see its full size.
INTERESTING FACTS
The Houses of Parliament's other name
Once known as the Palace of Westminster when it was built in the 11th century.. The original structure was badly damaged by a fire in 1512, and then completely destroyed by a subsequent fire in 1834.
You are not allowed to wear a suit of armour in Parliament
Although there’s no dress code to enter the Houses of Parliament, it’s prohibited to enter the space wearing a suit of armour. This law was established in the Statute forbidding Bearing of Armour or Coming Armed to Parliament Act 1313. The reasoning behind it was that the noblemen of the time often used armed force in parliamentary matters, which only resulted in trouble.
The King owns the House of Commons but needs permission to go in.
The Houses of Parliament are the official meeting place for parliament, but as the UK is a constitutional monarchy, they are technically owned by the reigning monarch. The King can go as far as the throne in the House of Lords, but any further than this is deemed an intrusion on the operation of the designated House of Commons.
BIG Ben facts
Although most people know this iconic landmark as Big Ben, this is actually the name of the bell in the tower. This weighs 13.7 tonnes and chimes in F flat. It is thought to have been named after Sir Benjamin Hall, the Chief Commissioner of Works, who was affectionately known as ‘Big Ben’. In 1949, the clock slowed down by 5 minutes when a flock of starlings landed on the minute hand.
Trafalgar Square facts
In 1842, 14 stone masons had dinner at the top of Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square before installing the statue of Nelson.
During the war, Hitler wanted to dismantle and rebuild Nelson’s column in Berlin.
The Centre of London
London’s central point is recognised by a plaque just south of Trafalgar Square where the statue of King Charles I stands. It marks the location where the original Charing Cross was erected by Edward I in honour of his dead queen Eleanor. All distances to/from London are measured from this point
How the MPS entertain themselves
The Houses of Parliament has eight bars and six restaurants - all subsidised by taxes and they not open to the public. It also has 1,000 rooms, 100 staircases, 11 courtyards, a hair salon, and a rifle-shooting range
The first traffic light
The world's first traffic light, based on the signalling systems used on the railways, was erected outside the Houses of Parliament in 1868. The following year, it blew up, injuring the policeman who was operating it.
Westminster Abby
Westminster Abbey is Britain’s largest church. Henry IV actually died in the Abbey.in 1413. The first person buried at Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey was Geoffrey Chaucer (1400, though his place in the Abbey came courtesy of his role as 'Clerk of Works', and not for his writing.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE AREA
Charing Cross to the Houses of Parliament
Click on the link below to go on a virtual tour of the sightseeing area.
Use the blue route to explore this location by looking around in 360, taking in the sights and sounds, listening to an audio recording about the location and going on a virtual tour.
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