County Hall does happen to be in one of the most prestigious locations in the world as it is opposite the home of British government.

County Hall does happen to be in one of the most prestigious locations in the world as it is opposite the home of British government. In fact for a long time many people would have regarded the small area on the other side of the Thames as the centre of the world. But fortunes wax and wane, so just to stand, gazing over the river on a balmy evening whilst pondering the passing of time and the rise and fall of fortunes, can be a pleasure in itself.

Parliament is a noisy place, for democracy is born out of debate and if there is anywhere that it is noisiest it is here, the home of the free world. But you wouldn't know it from outside as the stone whispers silently with it's own secrets, it is within that the balderdash, ballyhoo and brouhaha reign supreme.

Here is a bit of history:

'The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords (the upper house). Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are known as "Members of Parliament" or MPs. Members are elected, through the first-past-the-post system, by electoral districts known as constituencies, and hold their seats until Parliament is dissolved (a maximum of five years after the preceding election).

A House of Commons evolved at some point in England during the 14th century and, in practice, has been in continuous existence since, becoming the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain after the political union with Scotland, and also, during the nineteenth century, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the political union with Ireland. The House of Commons was originally far less powerful than the House of Lords, but today its legislative powers exceed those of the Lords. Under the Parliament Act 1911, the Lords' power to reject most legislative bills was reduced to a delaying power. Moreover, the Government is primarily responsible to the House of Commons; the Prime Minister stays in office only as long as he or she retains its support. Almost all government ministers are drawn from the House of Commons and, with one brief exception, all Prime Ministers since 1902.

The full, formal style and title of the House of Commons is The Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in Parliament assembled.'

Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament

Reproduced from wikipedia under the creative commons licence