Westminster Abbey

Right next to Westminster Palace lies its historical twin, the Westminster Abbey. The Gothic church of Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history starting as a Benedictine Abbey dedicated to St.Peter in the late 960s, and early 970s. Edward the Confessor reconstructed St.Peter’s Abbey between 1042 & 1052 to provide himself with a royal burial church.

The first Norman-Romanesque church in England was completed in 1090 only to be reconstructed in 1245 by Henry III in its pointed Gothic style, prevalent in contemporary French cathedral architecture. The Abbey has been the official coronation church of the English & then British monarchs since 1066, the final resting place of 17 monarchs, and the site of 16 royal weddings. It is also the burial place of numerous national figures such as Isaac Newton & Charles Darwin.

This treasure trove of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles & other artifacts is also the most significant single collection of monumental sculptures anywhere in the United Kingdom. The sight of the Great West Door & its towers, its Gothic North facade, and its enormous Nave, are images that will remain in your memory for years to come. More