Guided Tours The first day of LIMUN chiefly takes place at the illustrious Central Hall Westminster, where, back in 1946, the very first meeting of the United Nations General Assembly was held. It is located at the heart of Westminster, itself the heart of London and, truth be told, the heart of the whole United Kingdom – the lifeblood of the British Government stems from these couple square miles. At LIMUN we endeavour to share this beautiful and historic location with our participants and therefore have the pleasure of offering Guided Tours of Westminster to all interested delegates. These will be offered on the first day of the conference, departing from Central Hall Westminster and will last for approximately one hour. Due to the popularity of our tours, we run three of them – each with identical routes – to reduce group-sizes and ensure all can benefit from our staff’s guidance. They are designed so as to encompass many of London’s most breath-taking and impressive sites, in a concise route that traverses a beautiful park and landmark streets. They will be conducted by knowledgeable history students from the University of London, eager to share with you their passion for the historical significance of the sites you visit. The first one will depart at 10:00, the second at 10:30, and the third at 11:00, such that delegates may arrive back at Central Hall in time for the UN careers session held by Jon Ericson, the UN Chief of Outreach. No pre-booking is necessary. A team of LIMUN staffers will be able to guide you at the venue to find the tours meeting point. We advise delegates to make the earlier tours to ensure the 11:00 o’clock group does not become too large and therefore slow. For any queries, please contact [email protected]. To give you a taste of what awaits partakers of the tours, here are some of the sites to be visited. 1. St James’s Park The tour will depart from Central Hall and first head to Buckingham Palace, passing through the renowned St. James s Park. This large 23-hectare park was originally but a swampy meadow owned by a leprosy hospital dedicated to Saint James (one of the Apostles of Christ, after whom the park is named). The meadow was acquired by King Henri VIII in 1532 and soon turned into a small deer-hunting terrain reserved to the high nobility. It has gradually been improved upon by subsequent monarchs, particularly James I, who kept exotic animals in it, Charles II, who had canals installed, and George IV in the 1820s who commissioned the lake and romantic pathways we still see there today. Delegates will be invited to stroll from the east to the west side of the park along the lake, accompanied by myriad squirrels and swans and LIMUN staff- members with more information on the surroundings. 2. Buckingham Palace The tour partakers will exit St. James s Park at its western side, coming upon Buckingham Palace. This palace was originally known as Buckingham House, built by the first Duke of Buckingham in 1703. It was later purchased in 1761, and subsequently modernised, by King George III for his wife Queen Charlotte and their children. George IV commissioned an expansive enlargement of Buckingham House in the 1820s, enlisting the same architect as the one that designed St. James s Park. This was put on hold, however, soon upon the accession of William IV in 1830, but construction resumed in 1834 and Buckingham Palace was completed soon after. The palace has been the official residence of British monarchs since 1837, beginning with Queen Victoria. It now houses Elizabeth II, her husband the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the royal family. Among other uses, the palace often serves ceremonial and diplomatic functions. 3. Trafalgar Square After Buckingham Palace the tour will head towards Clarence House as it treads on The Mall, and then proceed down Pall Mall to Trafalgar Square. The terrain upon which Trafalgar Square now stands initially housed the great Royal Mews that served the government buildings on Whitehall. The architect John Nash, who also designed St. James s Park and worked on Buckingham Palace, set out in 1812 to redesign the area, and thereby created an open space for the public. In 1830 this space was named Trafalgar Square after the 1805 naval battle at Cape Trafalgar, Spain, which pitted the United Kingdom against combined Franco-Spanish forces during the Napoleonic Wars. The square contains the National Portrait Gallery, an art gallery built between 1832 and 1838 that houses portraits of historically-significant Britons, and Nelson s column, a 52-meter-tall monument dedicated to Admiral Horatio Nelson who died while leading the British navy at Cape Trafalgar in 1805. Today the square is a major tourist attraction, and serves as a rally point for various protest movements and other large gatherings. 4. The Palace of Westminster From Trafalgar Square the tour will make its way down The Mall and head to Horse Guards Parade, before reaching Whitehall. Delegates will there witness the heart of British government, culminating in the Palace of Westminster. This palace has, in one shape or another, existed uninterruptedly since King Cnut of England, Denmark and Norway began building at the site in the early 11th century. It was then expanded into a proper royal palace under Edward I the Confessor, who acceded in 1042 and made it his own residence. Under William II Westminster Hall was built in 1097, a large and still intact wing of the palace which served as the largest banqueting hall in Europe. Over subsequent centuries Westminster and the palace gained in significance as government bodies relocated here from Winchester, the original capital of England. Most notably, the Houses of Parliament began meeting here in the 13th century, though not yet regularly. Today the palace is synonymous to the Houses of Parliament. Accompanied by the iconic Big Ben built in 1859, it a must-see tourist attraction. .