House of Commons - Women's Place in Parliament

Between 27 June and 6 October 2018, a major exhibition, Voice & Vote: Women's Place in Parliament, will be staged in Westminster Hall. Featuring a range of amazing interactive features, the exhibition will cover the campaign for votes for women and the representation of women in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

What’s in the Voice & Vote exhibition?

Throughout the exhibition, rare and previously unseen historic objects, pictures and archives from the Parliamentary collections and elsewhere will be on show. Together with immersive and interactive technologies, the exhibition will tell the story of women in Parliament, the campaigning, the protests and the achievements. It will also examine where we are today and how you can make change happen.

Immersive spaces

The exhibition will give visitors the experience of women’s place in Parliament by recreating lost historical spaces of the Palace of Westminster.

The Ventilator

200 years ago, this loft space above the House of Commons Chamber was where women watched and listened to Parliamentary debates. Women were banned from the public galleries. Those who were politically engaged and wanted to watch discussions of issues they were campaigning for, such as the abolition of the slave trade, would make their way to this space to watch and listen.

The Cage

After the 1834 fire which destroyed the old Palace of Westminster, the new House of Commons included a Ladies’ Gallery which allowed women to view the Chamber from high up above the Speaker’s Chair. The gallery was closed off by brass grilles, deliberately placed there to stop MPs seeing the women. The grilles restricted women’s view and the Ladies’ Gallery was hot, stuffy and soon nicknamed “The Cage”.

The Tomb

From 1918, women could stand for Parliament for the first time. An office called the Lady Members’ Room was provided but it was poorly furnished and became increasingly overcrowded as more women were elected as MPs. They had to share the space, which became known as “The Tomb” despite their differing politics. Once the few desks provided were all taken, women MPs had to sit on the floor to do their paperwork and hold meetings in corridors.

The Chamber

The final part of the exhibition will be the Chamber, exploring the experience and work of women MPs and members of the House of Lords today. Women have now occupied the highest positions in Parliament, including Betty Boothroyd, the first, and only (so far) woman Speaker and Baroness Hayman, the first Lord Speaker in the House of Lords.

How can I visit and book tickets?

This free exhibition is open Monday to Saturday between 27 June and 6 October 2018 (closed 27 August). First timed entry is 9am (except Mondays 10am). Last entry is 5.30pm as the exhibition closes at 6pm.

Capacity is limited so advance booking is essential. Exhibition tickets, which provide access to Westminster Hall only, can be booked online, by calling +44 (0)20 7219 4114 or in person from the Ticket Office at the front of Portcullis House.

On most days you can combine a visit to the exhibition with a tour of the Houses of Parliament.

Further exhibition tickets will be released on the first working day of each month; in early April for September tickets and in early May for October tickets.

Private guided tours of the exhibition outside of normal opening hours are available on request. There is a charge for these tours; £500 if led by a Curator or £375 if led by a Visitor Assistant guide (for groups of up to 25 people).

Access to the exhibition may be subject to variation or cancellation due to the on-going maintenance programme and other parliamentary business.