Page 33 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

GREAT BRITAIN 31

Sanctuary ~ Poets' Corner WI Chapter House
Built by Henry Ill, this Many great poets are This beautiful octagonal
has been 1tle site of honored here, induding room, remarkable for its
38 coronations. Shakespeare, Chaucer, [;i) The Lady 13th-century tiled floor, is
stonework and l S. Eliot. Chapel lit by six huge stained-glass
is Victorian. windows showing
scenes from the
abbey's history.

~ North Transept ___ -!J+J~ft~~~~~~fttJ'!J~r~
The three chapels on
the eastern side of this
transept contain some
of the abbey's finest
monuments.

Museum
Unique wood, piaster,
and wax effigies of
monarchs are some
of the treasures
Pyx Chamber exhibited here.
In medieval times,
coinage was kept
here before being
tested for purity.

St. Edward's Chapel >
The Coronation Chair
can be seen here, along
with the tombs of many
medieval monarchs.
Cloisters
Bui It mainly in the 1 3th and
14th centuries, the cloisters
link the abbey church with
the other buildings.
[;i) Nave

The coronation ceremony is CNer
1,000 years old. The last occupant KEY DATES
of the Coronation Chair was the
1065 1245 1503 1745 1953
present queen, Elizabeth II. She was
crowned on June 2, 1953, by the Edward the Confessor Henry Ill demolishes the Work commences The west tOINE'rs, Queen Elizabeth l's
Archbishop of Canterbury in the founds the original old abbey and begins on the construct bn encased in Portland coronation Is the
abbey, which becomes work on Westminster of the stunning stone, are completed. most watched in the
first televised coronation.
the coronation church. Abbey as seen today. Lady Chapel. abbey's hlstol)'.