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Feature: Dine in Britain's House of Lords for 58 USD

Xinhua, May 11, 2017 Adjust font size:

The dissolution of the British parliament for the snap election has given visitors the chance to not only tread the corridors of power, but also to tuck into a meal in the exclusive dining room reserved for peers of the realm.

Officials at the Palace of Westminster have announced that Peers' Dining Room will open to the public until May 26.

The restaurant will be open for midday lunch sessions, offering a three-course lunch menu, using the finest seasonal British ingredients available. The dishes have all been expertly devised by the in-house team of chefs at what is one of the most famous buildings in the world.

The meal costs 45 pounds (58 U.S. dollars) per head and includes coffee and petit fours.

Would-be diners have been told that the dress code in Peers' Dining Room is smart casual. Collared shirts are preferred for gentlemen, with long trousers and shoes. Sportswear and trainers, however, are not allowed in the dining room.

Meanwhile, to encourage young people aged 18 to 24 to register to vote in the June 8 election, free tours of the Houses of Parliament are being offered.

Starting Thursday (May 11), the tours will take young visitors to the House of Commons, House of Lords and Westminster Hall. They will see inside the debating chambers and voting lobbies of both Houses.

And during the run-up to the election work has started on refurbishment of the 900-year-old Westminster Hall. The extensive work will mean scaffolding being erected both inside and outside the hall over the next three months while large-scale conservation work is carried out.

A spokesman for the Houses of Parliament said: "Westminster Hall, which dates back to 1099, is the oldest part of the parliamentary estate and forms part of the Westminster UNESCO world heritage site.

"The hall has been in constant use since it was first constructed, and has been the site of crucial events in Britain's history, such as the trial of King Charles I, coronation banquets, the lying-in-state of monarchs and prime ministers, and addresses by world leaders," he added.

King Charles I was the monarch of the kingdoms of England, Ireland and Scotland from 1625 until he was beheaded following a trial on a charge of treason in Westminster Hall. Enditem