One extraordinary continuous history.Īnd it’s not just what we see it’s how we see it.įor example, the guide’s directing your eye so you see how the grey Purbeck Henry III columns were expressly designed to contrast with the cream-coloured Caen stone.Īnd how when we step into a cloister we’re back in the London of the monks who lived here hundreds of years ago.Īnd observe the current daily life of the Abbey. Back in the Abbey passing The Coronation Chair, to reflect on this People’s House of Kings. Out to the Cloisters walked by generations of monks, the sublime Chapter House adorned with medieval wall paintings where they met, the Pyx Chamber and Norman Undercroft already here in the reign of William I. Statues of William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth. Past the feet of Henry V to Poets’ Corner, the blazing comet of English Literature, Chaucer to Jane Austen, to a favourite of Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens. Here the royal tombs of Elizabeth I, her half-sister Mary I and her cousin Mary Queen of Scots. The echoes of the ages, intimations of eternity, resting place of both Tudor and Stuart dynasties. Still further East the glorious Tudor Henry VII Lady Chapel. The Builder King Henry III, ‘Hammer of the Scots” King Edward I. Ahead the Shrine of Saint Edward the Confessor. To the side a new stained glass window for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Queen Elizabeth II crowned, the funeral of Diana, the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Ahead the soaring gothic transepts, here a view to the spiritual heart of the Abbey, at our feet the final resting place of the Unknown Warrior, before us, past the glorious Purbeck marble columns Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking.īeyond the bling screen the Quire and High Altar, a place of worship, the very site of Coronations, Royal Weddings, Grand and National Services. This is truly where church and civil power have jostled side by side. Right next to us, the church of St Margaret’s. Down the road St James’ Park and Buckingham Palace. Nearby are The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the United Kingdom Supreme Court. Walking to the North Front entrance the setting is immediately striking. No other building in Britain is so deeply set in the soul of the nation. And there it is – one of the greatest Christian sites in the world, monumental witness in Parliament Square to over a thousand years of English and British history. We meet outside the West front of the Abbey by the Abbey shopĪs the iconic West Front comes into full view the initial reaction is, ‘wow’. And you can enjoy sightseeing whilst taking photographs. ItineraryĪ rare opportunity to experience a quiet Westminster Abbey guided tour in a small group with first-class blue badge guides. And embarras des richesses, there’s a great London tip in the postscript. Here’s Simon talking about the Abbey and the Abbey tour.Īnd – a bonus – he’s also got something to say about our Village in Piccadilly walk. Restricted numbers: Yes and we get the discounted group rate for the entrance fee Let’s hear it from a guide But it bears repeating, the Westminster Abbey Tour does does NOT meet at a Tube Stop, it meets outside the West Front of Westminster Abbey, by the Abbey shop. the closest Tube Stop is Westminster Tube. Meeting point: Outside the West Front of Westminster Abbey by the Abbey shop. When: every Monday at 10.30 am and every Saturday at 10.15 am “Whoever travels without a guide needs 200 years for a two-day journey” – Rumi Westminster Abbey Tour Practicals Seen memorably.Īward-winning Blue Badge guide (who knows where to find the blue porcupine). House of Kings and Queens.Ĭoronations, cloisters and college gardens. The Abbey are strict on numbers, so it is essential to book, and you MUST let us know if you have booked but are not attending The cost for this tour is £39 for adults, and £30 for seniors over 65 and full-time students, which includes admission to the Abbey. This tour is Sold Out on Saturday August 12th Outside the West Front of Westminster Abbey by the Abbey shop.īrian or Chris or Isobel or Karen or Mary or Tom Walk Times Day
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