Westminster Abbey is a large church in the City of Westminster, London. It’s real name is ‘The Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster’.
It’s located across from Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. It’s the traditional place of coronation and burial for British kings and queens.
(Left) London Eye, (Center) Big Ben, Houses of Parliament, (Right) Westminster Abbey
The original Abbey was founded around the year 624.
The newest parts of the Abbey, the two western towers, were built between 1722 and 1745.
(Left) The western towers, (Right) The north entrance
Since the coronations of King Harold and William the Conqueror in 1066, all the coronations of British kings and queens have taken place at Westminster Abbey.
Many royal weddings have taken place at Westminster Abbey, including:
- 11th November 1100: King Henry I married Matilda of Scotland
- 20th January 1382: King Richard II married Anne of Bohemia
- 20th November 1947: Queen Elizabeth II married Philip Mountbatten
- 29th April 2011: Prince William married Catherine Middleton
18 British kings and queens are buried at Westminster Abbey.
The graves and tombs of many other important people in British history can also be found at Westminster Abbey. Such people include:
- Geoffrey Chaucer
- Charles Darwin
- Charles Dickens
- Rudyard Kipling
- David Livingstone
- Isaac Newton
- Laurence Olivier
- Robert Stephenson
- William Wilberforce
Westminster Abbey at night
