Westminster Abbey

The Abbey is not just one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical architecture in Europe, it's also the shrine of the nation where monarchs are anointed before their God and memorials to the nation's greatest figures fill every corner. From the outside, it's a magnificently earnest looking structure, its two great square towers and pointed arches the very epitome of medieval Gothic. The building was begun in 1245 under the reign of Henry II and finally completed in the early 16th century. This replaced an earlier structure commissioned in 1045 by Edward the Confessor (which itself had replaced a 7th-century original) and consecrated in 1065, just in time to play host to Edward's funeral and (following a brief tussle in Hastings) the coronation of William the Conqueror. It has been, with a couple of exceptions, the setting for every coronation since, and it is here on April 29, 2011, that Prince William married Kate Middleton.

More or less at the center of the Abbey stands the shrine of Edward the Confessor, while scattered around are the tombs of various other royals, including Henry V, Elizabeth I, and Richard III. Splendid as they are, they are all rather overshadowed by the tomb of Henry VII. This elaborately carved, gilded structure, the work of the Italian artist Torrigiano (a contemporary and sometime rival of Michelangelo), introduced Renaissance lushness to the Abbey's otherwise overwhelmingly austere, Gothic confines. Nearby is the surprisingly shabby Coronation Chair, on which almost every monarch since Edward II, including the current one, has sat during their coronation.

In Poet's Corner you'll find a great assortment of memorials to the country's greatest men (and a few women) of letters, clustered around the grave of Geoffrey Chaucer, who was buried here in 1400. These include a statue of Shakespeare, his arm resting on a pile of books, Jacob Epstein's bust of William Blake, as well as tributes to Jane Austen, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, John Milton, Dylan Thomas, and D. H. Lawrence.

Statesmen and men of science -- Disraeli, Newton, Charles Darwin -- are also interred in the Abbey or honored by monuments. Near to the west door is the 1965 memorial to Sir Winston Churchill and the tomb of the Unknown Warrior, commemorating the British dead of World War I.

More royal relics are on display in the Abbey Museum, which is housed in the Abbey undercroft. Among its various oddities are the effigies of a number of past royals, including Edward II and Henry VII, which were used instead of the real corpses for lying-in-state ceremonies -- they smelled better. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10:30am to 4pm.

If visiting midweek, don't forget to view the garden. First laid out some 900 years ago, it is one of the oldest cultivated gardens in the country, and offers a welcome breath of calming fresh air. It is open only from Tuesday to Thursday from April to September from 10am to 6pm, and from October to March from 10am to 4pm.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

Back to Top