Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, formally called the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. It is very important in British history. Since 1066, it is where 40 English and British monarchs were crowned and where 18 kings and queens are buried. At least 16 royal weddings have also happened there since 1100.

The church's history goes back many years. By the mid-900s, there was an abbey with Benedictine monks on the site. King Edward the Confessor, who is buried there, built the first large church in the 1040s. The current building began in 1245 under orders from Henry III. After the monastery closed in 1559, Elizabeth I made it a special royal peculiar, meaning it reports directly to the monarch. In 1987, Westminster Abbey, along with the Palace of Westminster and St Margaret's Church, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its great historical and symbolic meaning.

The abbey is famous for its beautiful Gothic architecture, mixing styles from France and England in the 1200s, with some parts having earlier Romanesque looks or later Baroque and modern designs. One special part is the Henry VII Chapel, known for its Perpendicular Gothic style. Over 3,300 people are buried there, including many important figures in British history such as monarchs, prime ministers, poets laureate, and famous artists and scientists. Among them lies the Unknown Warrior, a soldier from World War I whose grave is honored worldwide.

History

Historians think there was a monastery for Saint Peter at Westminster Abbey before the 11th century, but they are not sure when it started. Stories say it was founded by a Saxon king named Sæberht of Essex or a British king named Lucius.

The abbey was started around 959 when Dunstan and King Edgar created a place for monks to live. Between 1042 and 1052, Edward the Confessor rebuilt the abbey in a special shape called cruciform. It was finished around 1060 and ready for use in 1065, just before Edward died. He and his wife Edith were buried there. The abbey became important for royalty, especially after it no longer answered to the Bishop of London in 1222.

Westminster Abbey continued to be where kings and queens were crowned. After Edward the Confessor, no kings were buried there until Henry III started rebuilding it in 1245. Henry wanted to build a place to honor Edward and a tomb for his family. He built the eastern end, the sides, and part of the nave. It took many years to finish, with different builders leading the work. By 1269, Henry had spent a lot of money, and the shrine for Edward the Confessor was done. After Henry died in 1272, work stopped for over 100 years.

The abbey changed greatly during the English Reformation in the 1530s when Henry VIII took control of England’s monasteries. The abbey lost its treasures and was closed. It later became a church controlled by the king. During the English Civil War, the abbey was damaged, and more treasures were lost. In the 1600s, it was used for creating the King James Version of the Bible.

In the 1700s and 1800s, the abbey was repaired and changed. New towers were added in the 1740s, and more repairs were made in the 1800s. The abbey became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.

In modern times, the abbey has been used for important events, like the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. In 2020, archaeologists found a place from the 1200s and the remains of monks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the abbey was used as a place to give vaccines.

Architecture

Westminster Abbey is built in a Geometric Gothic style, using Reigate stone for its outside walls. It has an eleven-bay nave with smaller side passages, areas that cross in the middle, and a special area at the east end called a chancel with an ambulatory and smaller rooms called chapels. The building stands with support from rows of curved outer supports called flying buttresses. The west end of the nave was designed by Henry Yevele in a Perpendicular Gothic style. The Henry VII Chapel, built later in a Perpendicular style, uses Huddlestone stone.

The modern abbey looks mostly like French Gothic styles, especially like those at Reims Cathedral, not like English Gothic churches. Unlike English churches, Westminster Abbey did not have tall towers until the 1700s and has a higher nave that is narrower. It also has a long, rounded apse and chapels that spread out from the ambulatory, which is typical of French Gothic style. But there are English touches too, like using different coloured stones.

The abbey still has its cloisters from the 1200s and 1300s, which were busy places when it was a monastery. The west cloister was for teaching new monks, the north for quiet study, and the south led to the refectory. The east cloister led to the chapter house and a place where monks slept. The newest part is the Weston Tower, finished in 2018, which helps people reach the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries.

Interior

Inside, Westminster Abbey has piers and columns made of Purbeck marble, with a very tall roof. The areas that cross are long to hold guests during special events, and the special singing area called the choir is placed east of the crossing. The nave was built over many years but looks the same style throughout. Behind the main altar is the shrine and tomb of Edward the Confessor, with tombs of kings and queens from medieval times around it. The abbey has side chapels that spread out from the ambulatory, many of which were once altars for individual saints.

Chapter house and Pyx Chamber

The octagonal chapter house, built between 1250 and 1259, was where the abbey monks met each day. It has seats for 80 monks, big stained-glass windows, and walls with paintings from medieval times. The Pyx Chamber, from the late 1100s, was used to keep treasures and still has its original tiled floor and an old wooden door.

Henry VII Chapel

The Henry VII Chapel, built in late Perpendicular Gothic style, is famous for its detailed hanging and fan vault ceiling. It holds tombs of several kings and queens, including Edward V, Henry VII, Edward VI, Mary I, Elizabeth I, James I, Charles II, George II, and Mary, Queen of Scots. The chapel also has the RAF Chapel, with a stained-glass window for those who died in the Battle of Britain.

Monastic buildings

Many rooms once used by the monks now serve different purposes. The place where monks slept is now a library and school room, and the monks’ offices are homes for church leaders. The abbot’s living area, possibly the oldest home in London that is still lived in, includes the Jericho Parlour and Jerusalem Chamber. The prior’s living area is now part of Ashburnham House in Little Dean’s Yard.

Artworks and treasures

The nave and transepts of Westminster Abbey have sixteen crystal chandeliers made of hand-blown Waterford glass. These were given by the Guinness family in 1965 to celebrate the abbey’s 900th year. The choir stalls, designed by Edward Blore in 1848, include seats for high commissioners from countries in the Commonwealth of Nations.

The abbey has important artworks and treasures, like the 13th-century Westminster Retable, thought to be the oldest surviving English panel painting. The high altar and its screen, designed by George Gilbert Scott, show sculptures of famous religious and historical people. The south transept has beautiful wall paintings from around 1300, showing scenes from the Bible.

Above the Great West Door are statues of 20th-century Christian martyrs, made in 1998. The abbey’s library, once a dormitory for monks, now holds about 16,000 books. Nearby is the Muniment Room, which keeps the abbey’s historic archives.

Cosmati pavement

At the crossing in front of the main altar is the Cosmati pavement, a 700-year-old tile floor made from nearly 30,000 pieces of colored glass and stone. This special floor, almost 25 feet square, is where coronations happen. It was made using a technique called opus sectile and has geometric designs that show medieval ideas about the universe.

Stained glass

Many of the abbey’s original 13th-century stained glass windows were lost during historical times, but new ones have been added over the years. The north rose window, designed by James Thornhill in 1722, shows Christ and the apostles. In the Henry VII Chapel, windows made in recent years include designs by artists such as John Lawson, Alan Younger, and David Hockney, who designed a window for the north transept in 2018 inspired by the Yorkshire countryside.

Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries

The Westminster Abbey Museum moved in 2018 to new galleries high in the abbey’s triforium, called the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries. These galleries show life-size effigies of monarchs, a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the Cosmati pavement, models of towers that were never built, and historic documents such as the wedding licence of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Burials and memorials

Main article: Burials and memorials in Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a special place where over 3,300 people are buried or remembered. Many famous people from British history are honored there. This includes monarchs, scientists, actors, musicians, and writers. Some well-known people buried here are politicians like William Wilberforce and scientists such as Charles Darwin. The abbey also holds graves of many monarchs, from Edward the Confessor to George II.

One special area is called Poets' Corner, located in the south transept, where many famous poets and writers are buried or remembered. This tradition started in the 18th century and includes writers like William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens. Another important memorial is The Unknown Warrior, a soldier from the First World War. Buried in the center of the nave, this grave is treated with great respect and was the first of its kind in the world.

Main article: Poets' Corner

Main article: The Unknown Warrior

Royal occasions

Westminster Abbey has strong ties to the British royal family. It is where many important events happen, such as coronations, weddings, and funerals for royalty. Since 1066, 40 English and British monarchs have been crowned there, the most recent being Charles III in 2023. The abbey has also hosted royal weddings since 1100.

The abbey has hosted many royal celebrations, including special services for Queen Elizabeth II's wedding anniversaries. Royal funerals have also been held there, including the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 and Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.

Main articles: Coronation of the British monarch and List of British coronations

People

Dean and Chapter

Main article: Dean and Chapter of Westminster

Westminster Abbey is a collegiate church led by the Dean and Chapter of Westminster. They were given their role by a royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1560. In 2019, David Hoyle became the Dean of Westminster. The chapter has four canons and a senior officer called the Receiver General. One canon also serves as the rector of St Margaret's Church, Westminster and often helps the Speaker of the House of Commons. There are also minor canons who assist with the abbey's work.

King's almsmen

Six King's (or Queen's) almsmen and women are supported by the abbey. They are chosen by the dean and the Home Secretary. They attend services on Sundays and help with duties for a small payment. When they are on duty, they wear a special red gown with a crowned rose badge.

Schools

Westminster School is located in the abbey and has been teaching since the 14th century. It became independent from the abbey in 1868 but remains closely linked. The Westminster Abbey Choir School is also on the abbey grounds and educates the choirboys who sing in services.

Order of the Bath

Main article: Order of the Bath

The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry with its spiritual home in the abbey's Henry VII Chapel. It was founded by George I in 1725 and revived by George V in 1913. Members of the order have special stalls with their banners and crests during ceremonies held in the abbey every four years. The order is the fourth-oldest of the British orders of chivalry, after the Orders of the Garter, the Thistle, and St Patrick.

Music

See also: List of Westminster Abbey organists

Andrew Nethsingha is the current Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey. The abbey’s choir, founded in the 14th century, sings at daily services and important events like royal weddings and funerals. The choir includes twelve adult singers and thirty boy choristers aged eight to 13, who attend the Westminster Abbey Choir School.

Westminster Abbey has a long history with organs. The first known organ was given by King Henry III in 1240. Today, the main organ has five manuals and 109 stops and was built by Harrison & Harrison. The abbey also has other organs, including the Queen’s Organ in the Lady Chapel. The abbey’s bells, installed in 1971, include ten bells used for special events.

In popular culture

Westminster Abbey has been featured in many books, plays, and films. William Shakespeare mentioned it in his play Henry VIII, and it has inspired poems by writers like Francis Beaumont and John Betjeman. Famous artists such as Canaletto and J. M. W. Turner have also painted the abbey.

In modern times, the abbey appeared in the popular book and film The Da Vinci Code, though filming did not take place there. Later, the abbey allowed filming for Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning in 2022.