Building of the Week: Westminster Abbey, London

Two majestic towers rise over the City of Westminster in London. Graceful tracery, the delicate peaks of gothic arches, cascades of sculpture and shimmering expanses of glass define this amazing building—the burial place of kings, queens, poets and celebrities of all walks of life. Here, you can see Elizabeth I in eternal slumber—forever across from her rival in life, Mary I of England.


Charles Dickens, Lord Byron, T.S. Eliot, Laurence Olivier, William Wordsworth, Jane Austen, George II and Edward the Confessor all rest here, surrounded by many, many others whose names grace our history books. This is the site of coronations, royal weddings and funerals. This is the place where the very stones of the building breathe the history of the United Kingdom.

This is Westminster Abbey.

Founded in the year 960, The Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster (affectionately known as Westminster Abbey), is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. While the abbey has undergone many architectural and theological changes over the past one thousand and fifty years, one thing remains the same—the church that has stood on that site is a central hub of British politics, culture, art, and religion.

Westminster Abbey’s history is too rich and complicated to recount here in great detail. Though it was considered a cathedral for ten Catholic years in the middle of the Sixteenth Century, the current abbey is a “Royal Peculiar.” This means that the church is under the direct jurisdiction of the Queen as opposed to any religious authority such as a bishop or an abbot.

The first church constructed on this site in 960 was a smaller stone structure in the Romanesque style (referred to as “Norman” in English architectural terms). The building was set aside for Benedictine monks and was erected in proximity to the Palace of Westminster, which at the time was the seat of the monarchy. Henry III dedicated the abbey to Edward the Confessor and began an expansion and reconstruction project which continued from 1245 to 1517. The two towers were constructed between 1722 and 1745. Recently, the abbey underwent extensive renovations to ensure its survival.

As the struggle for religious control of England changed and twisted, so did the affiliation of the abbey which was named a Royal Peculiar in 1579 by Elizabeth I. Over the centuries, many different factions have tried to destroy the abbey. Yet, it still stands as proudly as ever.

Images Courtesy of Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey houses the monuments of hundreds of famous people and is also the home of the Coronation Chair which until 1996 sat above the Stone of Scone. The stone was returned to Scotland for both political and historical reasons.

Walking into the abbey is breathtaking. One visit is not enough. There’s too much to see and comprehend in one trip. If you’re fortunate enough to visit the abbey, take your time and really absorb what you’re seeing. It seems almost unreal. However, nothing could be more real. In front of your eyes, above your head and under your feet is the lasting history of England.