Undoubtedly the most richly decorated chamber of the Palace of Westminster, the House of Lords bears witness to the exuberant neo-Gothic imagination of Pugin. It has red leather benches to accommodate 1 200 lords (or peers), constituting the upper chamber. At the south end, the Royal Throne is occupied by the Queen on the day of Parliament’s official opening, when members of the House of Commons crowd in behind the bar at the other end to hear her speech.