Abbeys & priories · London
Westminster Abbey
Also known as: Abaty Westminster, Abtheach Westminster
Coronation and burial church of British monarchs since 1066.
Robert Lamb — CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 45 min–1.5 h
- Family-friendly
- Wheelchair accessible
About
Westminster Abbey is the coronation church of every English and British monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066, and the burial place of seventeen of them. It is also the resting place of Newton, Darwin, Hawking, Chaucer, Dickens and the Unknown Warrior. Largely 13th-century French Gothic, with a perpendicular nave and Sir Christopher Wren's western towers. A working Church of England 'royal peculiar' and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Photo gallery
From the Wikipedia article
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs. At least 16 royal weddings have taken place at the abbey since 1100. Although the origins of the church are obscure, an abbey housing Benedictine monks was on the site by the mid-10th century. The church got its first large building from the 1040s, commissioned by King Edward the Confessor, who is buried inside. Construction of the present church began in 1245 on the orders of Henry III. The monastery was dissolved in 1559, and the church was made a royal peculiar – a Church of England church, accountable directly to the sovereign – by Elizabeth I. The abbey, the Palace of Westminster and St Margaret's Church became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 because of their historic and symbolic significance. The church's Gothic architecture is chiefly inspired by 13th-century French and English styles, although some sections of the church have earlier Romanesque styles or later Baroque and modern styles. The Henry VII Chapel, at the east end of the church, is a typical example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture; antiquarian John Leland called it orbis miraculum ("the wonder of the world"). The abbey is the burial site of more than 3,300 people, many prominent in British history: monarchs, prime ministers, poets laureate, actors, musicians, scientists, military leaders, and the Unknown Warrior. Due to the fame of the figures buried there, artist William Morris described the abbey as a "National Valhalla".
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Historians agree that there was a monastery dedicated to Saint Peter on the site prior to the 11th century, though its exact origin is somewhat obscure. One legend claims that it was founded by the Saxon king Sæberht of Essex, and another claims that its founder was the fictional 2nd-century British king Lucius. One tradition claims that a young fisherman on the River Thames had a vision of Saint Peter near the site. The Fishmongers' Company still gives the abbey a salmon each year in recognition of this story. The origins of the abbey are generally thought to date to about 959, when Dunstan and King Edgar installed a community of Benedictine monks on the site. At that time, the location…
Architecture
The building is chiefly built in a Geometric Gothic style, using Reigate stone for facings. The church has an eleven-bay nave with aisles, transepts, and a chancel with ambulatory and radiating chapels. The building is supported with two tiers of flying buttresses. The western end of the nave and the west front were designed by Henry Yevele in a Perpendicular Gothic style. The Henry VII Chapel was built in a late Perpendicular style in Huddlestone stone, probably by Robert and William Vertue. The west towers were designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and blend the Gothic style of the abbey with the Baroque style fashionable during his lifetime. The tower has a star-shaped floorplan and leaded…
Description
On the floor, just inside the Great West Door in the centre of the nave, is the grave of the Unknown Warrior: an unidentified soldier killed on a European battlefield during the First World War. Although many countries have a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (or Warrior), the one in Westminster Abbey was the first; it came about as a response to the unprecedented death toll of the war. The idea came from army chaplain David Railton, who suggested it in 1920. The funeral was held on 11 November 1920, the second anniversary of the end of the war. The Unknown Warrior lay in state for a week afterwards, and an estimated 1.25 million people viewed his gravesite in that time. This grave is the only…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 51.4994, -0.1273
- District
- Westminster
- Parish
- Westminster, unparished area
- Postcode
- SW1P 3PA
- Parliamentary constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster
- Established
- 959
- Opening
- Mo-Sa 09:30-16:00
- Official site
- www.westminster-abbey.org
Sources
- manual: westminster-abbey (manual)
- wikipedia: Westminster Abbey (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Westminster Abbey?
- Westminster Abbey is in London, United Kingdom (postcode SW1P 3PA), in the parish of Westminster, unparished area.
- When was Westminster Abbey built?
- Built or established in 959.
- Who owns Westminster Abbey?
- Westminster Abbey is owned by | designation1 = WHS.
- Is Westminster Abbey a listed building?
- Westminster Abbey is officially recognised as Grade I listed.
- How do I get to Westminster Abbey?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode SW1P 3PA. It sits within the Cities of London and Westminster parliamentary constituency.