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. The room is furnished with red leather benches to accommodate the 830 lords (or peers) who make up the upper chamber (in 2013). At the south end, the Royal Throne is occupied by the Queen on the day of Parliament's official opening in November, when members of the House of Commons crowd in behind the bar at the other end to hear her speech.