WESTMINSTER ABBEY

LOCATION

It is located in Westminster, on

the north side of the river

Thames, in Broad Sanctuary.

SUBWAY

Westminster (Circle, District,

Jubilee)

St. James’s Park (Circle, District)

It is an Anglican church, officially named

“The Collegiate Church of St. Peter”.

The history of the Abbey starts in 1050,

when King Edward the Confessor

decided to build a monastery.

The present building dates back to 1245

when Henry III decided to rebuild the

Abbey in Gothic style.

At the sides of the main facade we

can see the two bell towers. Above

the Great West Door stand ten

statues of Christian martyrs. At the

centre of the facade there is a big

window with a polycrom glass.

Since 1066 every royal coronation

has taken place in this church, with

the exception of Edward V’s and

Edward VIII’s.

Here we can find King Edward’s

chair, the throne on which, since

1308, British sovereigns have sat,

when the crown is put on their heads.

Since 1100 there have been also 16

royal weddings in this abbey.

The Abbey also serves as Burial

Ground for monarchs, politicians,

artists, scientists, actors, military

leaders.

In fact more than 3000 people are

buried in this church, such as Isaac

Newton and Charles Darwin.

1) The nave.

It is England’s highest. Here we

can find the Grave of the

Unknown Warrior, an unidentified

British soldier killed during the I

World War, and a memorial stone

for Winston Churchill.

TOP THINGS TO SEE INSIDE THE

ABBEY

2) At the eastern end of the church

we can visit the Henry VII Lady

Chapel. It is the burial place of 15

Kings and Queens, including

Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots.

It has a beautiful vault and a large

stained glass window.

3) In the east Cloister we can find the

Chapter House, a beautiful octagonal

building. Its walls are decorated with

murals. It was a meeting place where

the monks prayed and read.

4) Poets’ Corner.

It is a section of the South Transept,

where over 100 poets and writers are

buried or have memorials with stone

monuments or stone slabs and

tablets. The first poet to be buried

here was Geoffrey Chaucer. Many

other writers are commemorated like

William Shakespeare, Charles

Dickens and the Brontë sisters.

The Abbey is open to visitors

from Monday to Saturday, from

9:30 am to 3:30 pm.

The ticket costs about £ 9 for 6-

16 years children and £ 22 for

adults.