The Visitors' Gallery, formally known as the Strangers' Gallery, is set aside for members of the public at the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

, and is intended for both invited and uninvited members of the public to watch the proceedings of the House. A similar gallery exists in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

. Members of the public may obtain tickets from their

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

. It is possible to queue outside St Stephen's Tower and be admitted to the gallery without booking, especially on Fridays, however during popular debates it will be nearly impossible to obtain a place without booking. The name refers to the traditional use of the term '' strangers'' to refer to those present in Parliament that are neither members nor staff. The gallery of the House of Commons is located on a level above the floor of the Commons chamber and looks down on it. There is a glass screen at the front of the gallery to prevent the throwing of objects into the chamber. The glass screen was installed in April 2004 at the cost of £600,000. Other parliaments throughout the Commonwealth have similar facilities, which are known by the same terms.

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External links

Visits to the Gallery of the House of Commons
House of Commons of the United Kingdom {{UK-gov-stub

See also

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External links