Westminster Abbey

First built in 960 by King Edgar, as a benedictine monastery, later rebuilt in the Gothic style by Edward the Confessor, who was too ill to attend the abbey’s consecration on December 28th, 1065. Already ancient when New York was New Amsterdam—even before Amsterdam itself—the abbey is older than Germany, Italy and France.

A Brief Reign

After Harold Godwinson’s nine-month rule over England ended in his death at the Battle of Hastings, Westminster Abbey witnessed its first coronation when his Norman victor, William the Conquerer, was crowned king of England on Christmas Day, 1066, beginning a nearly 1000-year tradition of royal coronations and burials, which now includes the remains of thousands of revered dead—from royals and nobles to writers, musicians, scientists and politicians—the greatest Britons of Great Britain—making the abbey a hallowed ground, of sorts, from bones to thrones.

Robust Staff

With it’s rich cultural history, Westminster Abbey seems to be in conversation with Britain’s nearby House of Parliament, the Supreme Court and the royal residence of Buckingham Palace, kept alive by some 275 full-time staffers and a security detail known as beadles, who raise flags atop one of the abbey’s 225-foot forward spires that announce whether the monarch is in residency, which foreign heads of state are visiting the English capital or whether England is in a state of national mourning. From the outside, the abbey is a showcase of Gothic style, replete with towering spires, flying buttresses and intricate stone carvings that chronicle stories of religious and historical significance, giving the exterior a strong sense of abbey time rather than human time.

Breathtaking Interior

Once inside, visitors are greeted by lofty ceilings adorned with ribbed vaults, stained glass windows and a Nave filled with rows of elegant pews, leading forward to the High Altar, where coronations, royal weddings and funerals capture a nation’s history like nowhere else. Of the more than 3,000 notables buried in the abbey, Poets’ Corner is one of the highlights of any tour of the historic and quite grandiose structure, where literary giants such as William Shakespeare, Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens have been entombed for their eternal rest. Today, Westminster Abbey represents a symbol of Britain’s centuries of monarchy, spirituality and national pride, attracting millions of visitors annually, who come to admire its beauty and cultural heritage, making Westminster Abbey, a one-stop glimpse into centuries of English history.