Part of Parliament: Senior Doorkeeper Ian Chapman
4 min read
As an ex-white van man who dabbled in amateur dramatics, Ian Chapman never saw himself becoming a Senior Doorkeeper in Parliament. But as he puts his vibrato to good use, he can’t imagine being anywhere else
As a Senior Doorkeeper, I am involved in maintaining the security of the Chamber, Committees and associated galleries. If there were to be an incident in any of these areas of the House, Senior Doorkeepers are there to maintain order.
My days are allied to House sitting times. For example, on a Monday I am on post from two o’clock just before the House sits. Prior to this I would get dressed in my uniform, which includes Georgian Court Dress and our gold Badge of Office. These badges form part of the Crown Jewels and the oldest badge is dated 1775. We are required to look smart and I am proud to say that I love all the ceremony connected with the role.
Even though I can appreciate the need for the modernisation of certain things, I believe that you’ve got to have a good mixture of the past and the present moulded together. In the Speaker’s Procession at the beginning of the day, if I am posted on the Members’ Lobby door, I call out ‘Speaker’ and bow to the Mace as it gets carried past. I am proud of all the opportunities this position brings. People know the Senior Doorkeepers; they respect us. When the public comes in, they don’t just want to go up into the galleries, they want to chat to us about our gold badges, our uniform and our role within the House.
Each day I read the order paper to make sure I know the upcoming business. As a team, we are briefed on important aspects of the day such as the possibility of mass lobbies, urgent questions or statements.
We have three teams; a Lobby team, a Gallery team and a Chamber team. I am part of the Lobby team and there are different posts within each of the teams. Sometimes work can be unpredictable: you come in thinking you’re going to finish at 10.30pm, and then you find out there are 3 hours of extra business, which then takes you up to 1.30am.
Senior Doorkeepers have always had an extremely good relationship with Members. They approach the team for advice on many issues including directions and advice on the day’s proceedings.
Before I came here, I didn’t have an interest in politics whatsoever and I never realised how hard Members work. On TV, you only see what goes on in the Chamber and the Committees but there’s much more to it than that. Since working here I’ve learned that MPs are the same as everyone else and they reflect different backgrounds and upbringings…just like the rest of us.
My most enjoyable day to date was the last State Opening of Parliament. I had to shout out ‘Black Rod!’ because I was posted on the Lobby door and all this was televised. I loved doing the ‘shout’ - my background is in performing. I’m the Chairman of the ‘Bromley Players’, an amateur dramatic society and so I try to put some vibrato in there when I call out ‘Speaker’ or ‘Black Rod’.
My worst day was the Westminster attack in March 2017. I was in Westminster Hall. It made me realise how vulnerable we can be in certain emergency situations. I helped people out into the Jubilee room. I’ll never forget it, it was a difficult, long day.
I was not able to finish school and I have no qualifications. Prior to this job, I was a self-employed van driver for ten years and so for me, working in this building is particularly amazing. I still get that feeling of awe when I walk around the Palace. Being a Senior Doorkeeper is not something I ever saw myself doing, but I really enjoy it and I love being part of a great team.
I see myself here until I retire. I’d love to go on to become Principal Doorkeeper at some point. It could take many years, if at all. But it would be something I’d love to do.
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