Written by Lina in Lower Sixth.
The trip began bright and early for a 7am departure from Downe House. On our journey to central London, we were all handed a sheet of paper with clues relating to influential British political figures. Our challenge, as explained by Mrs. Grant was to determine who each figure was and take a picture with their portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. Once we arrived in London, we started by visiting the UK Supreme Court, where we were able to see a courtroom and learn more about the history and workings of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, there were no hearings that day, so we were unable to see the court in session.
From the Supreme Court we walked to the National Portrait Gallery, stopping briefly to watch the beginning of the Anzac Day ceremony at the Cenotaph. The British Government was represented by David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, and Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker. At the National Portrait Gallery, we set off in groups to try and complete our challenge, which would prove to be much harder than anticipated. Seeing all the installations in the gallery, it was intriguing to be able to see the progression of Britain through artwork versus through our textbook as well as learning about some key historic figures we may otherwise have never heard of.
Following a quick lunch break, we moved on to our final part of the day which was a tour of Parliament. As there are usually only 13 sitting Fridays, we were not expecting to be able to see any debates happening while we were there. However, upon arriving, we learned that the House of Commons had just adjourned from a debate and the House of Lords was still in session. This meant that we were able to watch a debate in the House of Lords from the viewing box and then see the actual chamber of the House of Commons. While in Parliament, we explored the main areas of Westminster Palace and its history as well as seeing the inner workings of the chambers and of course a debate in the Lords.
Overall, the trip was amazing and a wonderful way to apply and visualize different aspects of our course.
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