Westminster Hall - guidance for visitors with autism

The hall is very old and large and can echo when there are lots of people in there.  It can also feel cold in there.

Sensory Information

You may hear Big Ben chime whilst you are there. The link below plays a recording.

• Listen to Big Ben chime (MP3 515 KB)

The Jubilee Café is open for all visitors to use. The following link gives you information, opening hours and some menus showing prices. This will give you an idea of what you may choose.

• Find out more about the Jubilee cafe

It can be noisy and busy in the café. There are trays, but they may be near the other end of the entrance area. You can choose what you want, then pay for it, and then sit down in the café to eat and/or drink. It is an echoing space with machinery noises in it. 

Foods and drinks, except water, are not allowed to be eaten outside the café area.

Staff can help you if you ask. For example they can carry a tray of food or drink to your table if you are worried about anything spilling.

If you want to eat a packed lunch from home you cannot do this inside the Houses of Parliament. There are local parks nearby where you can eat your lunch before or after the visit, such as Victoria Tower Gardens or St. James’s Park.

Gift Shop

As you come into Westminster Hall from outside, toilets will be on your right. You will pass by the House of Commons Gift Shop to get to them.

The gift shop has many items at low level, including some which are breakable. There is information and some more gift choices available in the hall itself.

• Visit the Parliament shop website
  

This is a picture of the gift shop where you can buy souvenirs to take home.

Toilets

The male and female toilet areas have 'air blade' hand driers.

You have the option to use the accessible toilets either upstairs or downstairs, which do not have that sort of hand drier. 

They have a hand towel on a roll which you can use if you would rather.