Westminster Abbey
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WESTMINSTER ABBEY is a living church as well as an architectural Gothic masterpiece of the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. The Abbey has been the setting for Coronations since that of William the Conqueror in 1066 and is home to the Coronation Chair.
Known as the House of Kings, the Abbey is the final resting place of 17 monarchs, including the greatest of them all, Elizabeth I. Many monarchs chose to be buried close to the shrine of Edward the Confessor, whose death in 1065 led to invasion and conquest of the kingdom by William the Conqueror. It was thought that the closer one lay to a saint the greater the chance of heavenly favour.
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The Abbey is also packed with tablets, statues and monuments commemorating the great and powerful of their day, many of whom are not buried in the Abbey. Nevertheless, within the cluttered walls of the Abbey lie buried a roll call of distinguished Britons - poets, writers, scientists, musicians, actors, architects and politicians. Perhaps the most extraordinary gravestone is that of Thomas Parr who lived to be 152 years old. His life spanned the reign of 10 monarchs!
The funeral of the much-loved Princess Diana took place in the Abbey in 1997. Elton John sang 'Candle in the Wind' in her honour and her brother gave a moving address. The occasion will also be remembered as an amazing outpouring of grief from the hitherto stoical British.
Website: www.westminster-abbey.org
Nearby attractions: Houses of Parliament, London Eye, St James' Park
Tube station: Westminster