The Palace of Westminster serves as the beating heart of the United Kingdom. While tourists snap photos of Big Ben from the bridge, the building itself hides a labyrinth of bizarre traditions and ancient rules. For instance, the palace fights a constant war against mice but refuses to employ a cat. Furthermore, the MPs still have access to free tobacco at the door, even though smoking has been banned for centuries. Prepare to hear the division bell.
Palace of Westminster
Tradition strictly bans the King from the House of Commons. In 1642, King Charles I stormed into the chamber with armed soldiers to arrest five MPs. Since that day, the Commons forbids any monarch from entering to ensure the independence of elected officials.
Workers discovered centuries-old tennis balls in the roof timber. During renovations of Westminster Hall, the crew found tennis balls trapped in the ceiling beams. These likely date back to King Henry VIII, who loved “real tennis” and used the hall as his personal court.
Legal custom makes it arguably “illegal” to die inside the Palace of Westminster. A popular belief states that anyone who dies within a Royal Palace deserves a state funeral. Therefore, if someone collapses, officials usually declare them dead only after they reach the ambulance or hospital to avoid diplomatic headaches.
The Principal Doorkeeper guards a box of snuff. At the entrance to the House of Commons, a wooden box sits fully stocked with nasal tobacco. Although the rules banned smoking in 1694, this ancient perk remains available for any MP who needs to clear their head.
A suffragette hid in a broom cupboard to make a point. On the night of the 1911 Census, Emily Davison secretly locked herself in a cupboard inside the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. She did this so she could legally list her address as the “House of Commons” on the census form.
Palace of Westminster fights a massive mouse problem. Rodents infest the building, but management refuses to get a “Chief Mouser” cat like Downing Street. They fear a cat might accidentally eat the poison bait or wander across tables while MPs eat.
The Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars before every State Opening. They perform a ceremonial search of the basements with lanterns before the monarch arrives. This tradition ensures no one replicates Guy Fawkes’ Gunpowder Plot of 1605.
The Queen had a secret toilet in the House of Lords. In the Sovereign’s Robing Room, where the monarch puts on the Imperial State Crown, a hidden door blends perfectly into the wooden wall paneling. It leads to a private bathroom that only the reigning monarch uses.
Painters colored the bridges to match the seats. They painted Westminster Bridge green to match the leather benches of the House of Commons. Conversely, they painted Lambeth Bridge red to match the benches of the House of Lords.
Builders originally constructed the palace on an island. Before engineers built the Embankment to control the River Thames, a marshy islet known as “Thorney Island” supported the ground. While the river now flows within banks, the palace still sits on this unstable, sandy soil.
Two sword lengths separate the red lines on the carpet in Palace of Westminster. In the House of Commons, red lines divide the government and the opposition. By tradition, MPs must not step over these lines during debates, which historically prevented them from stabbing each other during heated arguments.
Abseilers clean Big Ben. The clock face sits too high for ladders, so a specialist team rappels down from the belfry to clean the glass. They use water and soap to scrub the 312 panes of glass on each of the four faces by hand.
Colleagues physically drag the Speaker of the House to the chair. When members elect a new Speaker, other MPs symbolically drag them to their seat. Historically, this role carried danger as the Speaker often communicated bad news to the King, so candidates required force to take the job.
The cloakroom features purple ribbons for weapons. The Members’ cloakroom still contains loops of purple ribbon attached to coat hangers. Tailors originally designed these so MPs could hang up their swords before they entered the chamber.
Finally, engineers electrified Winston Churchill’s statue. The bronze statue of the wartime Prime Minister in the Members’ Lobby attracted too many pigeons. To stop them from perching on his head, a mild electric current runs through the statue to keep the birds away.
