Page 32 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Westminster Abbey, London
30 EUROPE

Since the 13th century, Westminster Abbey has been the burial
place of Britain's monarchs and the setting for many coronations
and royal weddings. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in
A TlArJTIC London, with an exceptionally diverse array of architectural
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Sf A styles, ranging from the austere French Gothic of the nave to
GREAT
BRITAIN the astonishing complexity of the Lady Chapel. Half national
IRUANO
church, half national museum, the abbey's aisles and transepts
Birmingham •
,WESTMINSTE~~~g~~ O are crammed with an extraordinary collection of tombs and
monuments honoring some of Britain's greatest public figures,
from politicians to poets.

FAMOUS TOMBS AND MONUMENTS
Many sovereigns and their consorts are buried
Y Lady Nightingale's Memorial by
in Westminster Abbey. Some tombs are Roubiliac (1761), north transept
deliberately pi ai n, while others are I avishly
decorated. The shrine of the Saxon king
Edward the Confessor and various tombs of
medieval monarchs are located at the heart
of the abbey (St. Edward's Chapel). The
Grave of the Unknown Warrior in the nave
commemorates those killed in World War I who
had no formal resting place. One unnamed
soldier is buried here. Monuments to a number
of Britain's greatest publicfigures crowd the
aisles. Memorials to literary giants such as
Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Dickens can be
found in the South Transept (Poets' Corner) Shakespeare monument at
Poets' Corner
THE LADY CHAPEL
Work on the chapel began in 1 S03, on the ~ Chapter House
orders of King Henry VII. It was intended to
vNave
enshrine Henry VI, but it was Henry VII himself At a height of 102ft (31 m), the nave is the
who was finally laid to rest here in an elaborate highest in England. The ratio of height to
width is 31.
tomb. The highlight of this chapel, completed
in 1 S 19, is the vaulted roof, a glorious exam pie
of Perpendicular architecture. The undersides
of the choir stalls (1 S12) are beautifully carved
with exotic and fantastic creatures. The chapel
contains the fine tomb of Elizabeth I, who
reigned 1 SS8-1603, and that of her half-sister,
Mary I, who ruled 1 SS3-8.

THE CORONATION CEREMONY
Every monarch since William the Conqueror,
except Edward V and Edward \All, has been
crowned in Westminster Abbey. Many
elements in this solemn and mystical ceremony
date from the reign of Edward the Confessor
( 1 042 -66) The king or queen proceeds to the
abbey, accompanied by some of the crowns,
scepters, orbs, and swords that form the royal
regalia. The jewelled State Sword, one of the
most valuable swords in the world, represents ~ Flying Buttresses
The abbey's enormous
the monarch's own sword. He or she is flying buttresses help to
anointed with holy oil, to signify divine redistribute the great
approval, and invested with ornaments and weight of nave's
royal robes. The dim ax of the ceremony is soaring roof.
when St. Edward's Crown is placed on the
sovereign's head; there is a cry of "God Save ~ The lady Chapel
The chapel, built in 1503-12,
the King" (or Queen), the trumpets sound, and
has superb late-Perpendicular
guns at the Tower of London are fired. vaultings, and choir stalls
dating from 1512.