Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Parliament Square Westminster 020 7222 5152,
www.westminster-abbey.org
.
Mon-Fri 9.30am-4.30pm,
Wed until 6pm, Sat 9.30am-2.30pm, though hours can vary.£18.
MAP
Venue for every coronation since William the Conqueror, and burial place of kings and
queens, Westminster Abbey embodies much of England's history.
Entry is via the north transept, cluttered with monuments to politicians. From there you
enter the nave itself, narrow, light and, at over 100ft in height, the tallest in the country. The
choir leads through to the central sanctuary, site of the coronations, and the wonderful
Cos-
mati floor mosaic
, constructed in the thirteenth century by Italian craftsmen. At the east
end lies the abbey's most dazzling architectural set piece, the
Lady Chapel
, added by Henry
VII in 1503 as his future resting place. With its intricately carved vaulting and fan-shaped
gilded pendants, the chapel represents the final spectacular gasp of the English Perpendicu-
lar style. The public is no longer admitted to the
Shrine of Edward the Confessor
, the sac-
red heart of the building, except on a guided verger tour (£3). Nowadays, the abbey's royal
tombs are upstaged by
Poets' Corner
, in the south transept. The first occupant, Geoffrey
Chaucer, was buried here in 1400, not because he was a poet but because he lived nearby.
By the eighteenth century, however, this zone had become an artistic pantheon, and since
then has been filled with tributes to all shades of talent from William Blake to John Betje-
man.
Doors in the south choir aisle lead to the
Great Cloisters
(daily 9am-6pm; free with Ab-
bey ticket), rebuilt after a fire in 1298. At the eastern end of the cloisters lies the octagonal
Chapter House
(Mon-Sat 10am-4pm; free), where the House of Commons met from 1257.
The thirteenth-century decorative paving tiles and apocalyptic wall-paintings have survived
intact. Close by is the
Abbey Museum
(Mon-Sat 10.30am-4pm; free), filled with genera-
tions of bald royal death masks and wax effigies. From the cloisters you can make your way
to the little-known
College Garden
(Tues-Thurs: April-Sept 10am-6pm; Oct-March
10am-4pm; free), a 900-year-old stretch of green which now provides a quiet retreat; brass
band concerts take place in July and August between 12.30 and 2pm.
It's only after exploring the cloisters that you get to see Edward I's
Coronation Chair,
a
decrepit oak throne from around 1300, and used at every coronation since.You exit via the
west door.
