Page 53 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - England's South Coast
P. 53

L ONDON      51


                            . Henry VII’s Chapel  VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
                            Also known as the Lady Chapel,
                            it was built between 1503 and   Practical Information
                            1519. It features superb late   Broad Sanctuary, SW1. Map D4.
                            Perpendicular vaulting and   Tel 020 7222 5152. Open Abbey
                            choir stalls dating from 1512,    (Royal Chapels, Poets’ Corner,
                            as well as two stained-glass   Choir, Statesmen’s Aisle, Nave):
                            windows installed in 2013.
                                                 9:30am–3:30pm Mon–Fri (to 6pm
                                                 Wed), 9:30am–1:30pm Sat.
                                                 Chapter House, Pyx Chamber &
                                                 Museum: 10am–4pm Mon–Sat.
                                                 College Garden: 10am–4pm Tue–
                                                 Thu. NB: Abbey museum closed
                                                 for renovation until 2018. & 8
                                                 9 7 limited, access from the
                                                 North Entrance. 5 Evensong:
                                                 5pm Mon–Fri (evening prayers
                                                 Wed), 3pm Sat & Sun. 0 - =
                                                 œ ∑ westminster-abbey.org
                                   Poets’ Corner
                                   A host of great    Transport
                                                 3 Victoria. @ 3, 11, 12, 24, 53, 87,
                                   poets are honoured
                                   here, including   88, 148, 159, 211. 1 Westminster.
                                                 4 Westminster Pier.
                                   Shakespeare, Geoffrey
                                   Chaucer and T S Eliot.













                                         . Chapter House
                                         This beautiful octagonal structure is worth
                                         seeing for its 13th-century tiles. It is lit by six
                                         huge stained-glass windows showing scenes
                                         from the abbey’s history.
                              Historical Plan of the Abbey
                              The first abbey church was established as early
                              as the 10th century, but the present French-influenced
                              Gothic structure was begun in 1245 at the behest of
                              Henry III. Because of its unique role as the
                              coronation church, the abbey escaped
                              Henry VIII’s onslaught on Britain’s
                              monastic buildings.

                              Key
                                 Built between 1055 and 1272
                                 Added 1376–1420
       Cloisters                 Built between 1500 and 1512
       Built mainly in the 13th and       Completed 1745
       14th centuries, the cloisters       Restored after 1850
       link the abbey church with the
       other buildings in the complex.




   050-051_EW_ESC.indd   51                                  10/03/17   6:52 pm
   48   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58