A Guide to the History and Architecture of Westminster Abbey

The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, commonly known as the Westminster Abbey, is a Christian church building located in the city of London, England, west of the Palace of Westminster and Houses of Parliament. It is built in Gothic architecture style, with much of the structure made out of stone. Though it was once inhabited by monks and nuns, the Abbey is technically no longer an abbey. Instead, it is a ‘royal peculiar,’ or a church that is controlled by the monarch rather than the diocese.

Daily worship services are still held in the abbey, which anyone is allowed to attend. Westminster Abbey has also been used as a wedding venue for royal weddings, a coronation location, and a burial site for over 3,000 prominent British figures, such as prime ministers, monarchs, statesmen, and scientists. In 1987, it was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Westminster Abbey has a long and rich history and is an example of some of society’s greatest architectural feats. Here is a brief overview of the history of Westminster Abbey.

• Tenth to twelfth-century beginnings: Westminster Abbey dates back to the tenth century when it is said that a local fisherman on the River Thames had a vision of St. Peter and founded a church (called Thorney), which became home to a community of monks. The church was later remodeled in the middle of the eleventh century by St. Dunstan of Canterbury. A new church was built on the site by King Edward the Confessor (also known as St. Edward the Confessor), who wanted to build a royal burial church. He died a week after the church was consecrated in 1065 and was buried there. In 1066, the abbey served as the place of William the Conqueror’s coronation after a successful invasion following Edward the Confessor’s death.
• Thirteenth to fifteenth-century remodeling: A little less than two centuries later, King Henry III tore down nearly every part of the former abbey, and rebuilt it in the classical Gothic architectural style seen today. The new church was consecrated in 1269. Henry III continued to reconstruct the abbey until his death in 1272 when construction halted, leaving the project unfinished with the original nave (or central aisle) still attached. In the late fourteenth century, Richard II completed construction on the nave. Between this time and the fifteenth century, as many as 60 monks lived and practiced in the abbey, which housed a Benedictine monastery.
• Sixteenth to eighteenth-century additions: At the beginning of the sixteenth century, King Richard VII added a structure called the Lady Chapel in a Perpendicular Gothic style at the beginning of the sixteenth century. After Henry VIII began his reign in 1539, he granted the abbey cathedral status and established the Diocese of Westminster, which was dissolved only a decade later. He also dissolved the monastery, meaning that monks would no longer live there. Mary I of England—also known as Mary Tudor—was a Catholic, and restored the abbey to the Benedictine monks. Elizabeth I later declared the abbey a Royal Peculiar, taking power back from the Benedictines. The Western Towers were built in the 1700s, along with the great west window and rose window in the north transept.
• The nineteenth century and beyond: Throughout the nineteenth century, the abbey went through a number of remodels, most notably the high altars and transept facades by Gothic Revival architects J.L. Pearson and Sir George Gilbert Scott. During World War II, bombings and fires damaged the abbey, though it was restored shortly after. Today, the abbey still serves as a ceremonial site, along with holding daily worship services.

Westminster Abbey is an expansive, Gothic design embedded with centuries of British history and tradition. Some of the main sections that comprise the abbey include the following.

1. 1. Nave: This area is located in the western part of the abbey. It is a large, central hall in the abbey where many notable figures have been buried, including Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking, along with memorials to other famous figures such as Winston Churchill.
2. 2. The cloisters: Between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the cloisters were the center of monastic life in the abbey. The Chapter House, with an octagonal shape and vaulted ceiling, was located in the East Cloister and is where the monks gathered to pray, discuss business, and hold counsel.
3. 3. Pyx chamber: The Pyx chamber is located beneath the monks’ dormitory as part of the Undercroft. This room is where gold and silver were stored before it could be melted down and tested for its purity.
4. 4. Jerusalem chambers: The Jerusalem chambers were added in the fourteenth century, and were the former home of the abbot of Westminster Abbey. King Henry IV died here in 1413.
5. 5. North transept of the abbey: The north transept (or front) of Westminster Abbey was rebuilt in Gothic architecture style in 1265, under Henry II’s rule. It has a series of thin, interconnected towers and spires that frame a large, central honeycombed window.
6. 6. Henry VII's Lady Chapel: Though now more commonly called the Chapel of Henry VII, the Lady Chapel was originally intended as a dedication to the Virgin Mary. Henry VII’s chapel contains five alcoves (or apses) off of a central nave and a vaulted ceiling.
7. 7. Poets’ corner: Poet’s corner is located in the south transept of the abbey. This area is reserved as the burial and memorial site for 100s of writers and poets, such as the Bronte sisters, Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, and William Shakespeare.
8. 8. Western towers: Built to a design by Nicholas Hawksmoor in the eighteenth century, the Western Towers were the last structural additions to the abbey and some of the earliest installations of Gothic Revival architecture. They are found on the western end of the structure, at the end of the nave.

Westminster Abbey is known for its sharp, Gothic architecture. Some of the most recognizable features of the abbey include:

1. 1. Vaulted ceilings: The abbey has ribbed vaulted ceilings, which feature a series of exposed beams set along central focal points to create a unique, structural look along the vaults.
2. 2. Flying buttresses: Flying buttresses reinforce the exterior walls of a structure, allowing it to hold more steadily against adverse conditions or force. You can find them reinforcing a series of small towers along the south side of the building.
3. 3. Pointed arches: A pointed arch is a structure with curved sides that meet in a sharply pointed tip. The outer pointed arches you see on the sides of the abbey were later supported by flying buttresses, while the inner part of the ceiling was decorated with rib vaulting.
4. 4. Rose windows: Rose windows are windows that have a rose shape, usually filled with stained glass, and are a common feature of Gothic architecture. A large rose window is the focal point of the abbey’s north transept. The abbey used to contain more stained glass panels, though many of them were destroyed during World War II. However, the Queen has various pieces of stained glass that go on display at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries.
5. 5. Geometric design. Much of the abbey’s decor involves patterned, repetitive shapes that create a sense of unity and proportionality throughout the design.

The Westminster Abbey has been the location of many different types of ceremonies for the Commonwealth over the years. Here are some of those ceremonies.

• Coronations of the monarchs: Starting with King Edward the Conqueror, every British sovereign has been crowned at Westminster Abbey. The ancient Coronation Chair has served as a centerpiece for these ceremonies for hundreds of years.
• Royal weddings: In 1100, Henry I became the first monarch to get married at Westminster Abbey. In 2011, Prince William, eldest son of the late Princess Diana and Prince Charles, married his now-wife Catherine (Kate) Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge.
• Burials: The Royal Tombs have served as the final resting place for numerous kings and queens throughout history, such as Henry V, George II, Edward V, Elizabeth I, and Mary I. The Unknown Warrior is also buried here, right near the Great West Door. The day after Queen Elizabeth I’s funeral in 2002, Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath at the Warrior’s tomb in accordance with her late mother’s wishes.
• The funeral of Princess Diana: After a tragic car accident claimed Princess Diana’s life in 1997, her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey. The Abbey bells rang out in the morning to start the procession, and the royal family set wreaths upon Diana’s coffin.

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