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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.