Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey's formal name is the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. Since 1066 it has witnessed the coronations of forty English and British monarchs, holds the burials of eighteen sovereigns, and has hosted at least sixteen royal weddings. The present building was begun by order of Henry III in 1245, its main body modelled on thirteenth-century French Gothic; the Henry VII Chapel at the east end, famed for its ornate Perpendicular Gothic, has been called 'a wonder of the world.' Within, more than three thousand three hundred notable figures of British history are buried or commemorated, which led William Morris to call it 'a national Valhalla.' It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Step into the nave, and every small chapel and every gravestone hides a story that has been walked past but rarely told.
United Kingdom · 15 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Westminster Abbey Museum
Open from 1908, the Westminster Abbey Museum occupied the abbey's vaulted 11th-century undercroft, the space that once lay beneath the monks' dormitory. This is one of the oldest parts of the monastery, its history reaching back to 1065 and Edward the Confessor's Romanesque church. The museum displayed funeral effigies of royalty and other notable figures, along with treasures such as medieval glass panels and fragments of 12th-century sculpture.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Poets' Corner
In the Abbey's south transept, Poets' Corner is both the resting place of giants of English literature and a memorial to their work. The tradition began in 1400 with the burial of Geoffrey Chaucer here — though more for his post as Clerk of the King's Works at the Palace of Westminster than for his verse. Over time the spot became a shrine honouring those who shaped English culture, the great majority of them writers. Shakespeare, buried in 1616 at Stratford-upon-Avon, received a monument here in 1740.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Henry VII's Lady Chapel
Henry VII's Lady Chapel occupies the far eastern end of Westminster Abbey, separated from the main nave by a brass gate and a short flight of steps. Built in the late Perpendicular Gothic style and funded by Henry VII's will, it was begun on 24 January 1503 and the main structure was complete by 1509. The breathtaking feature is the ceiling: a pendant fan vault of carved stone ribs, its fans dropping downward into stalactite-like pendants. The writer Washington Irving described it as 'as light and airy as if built of wicker-work.' The scholar John Leland called the chapel in its entirety an orbis miraculum — 'a wonder of the world.'
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Jerusalem Chamber
The Jerusalem Chamber sits within the former abbot's lodgings on the west front of Westminster Abbey, built in the fourteenth century. The room's name alone makes it a historical landmark: King Henry IV of England died here on 20 March 1413. He had been told he would die in 'Jerusalem,' believed it referred to the Holy City, and the prophecy was fulfilled in this side-chamber instead. In 1611 the committee responsible for producing the King James Bible held its meetings here; William Shakespeare also mentions the room in Act IV of Henry IV, Part 2.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
The Great Cloister
The Great Cloister wraps around the south side of the Abbey church and formed the backbone of medieval monastic life here. Each of its four walks had a distinct function: the north walk was for the monks' private study; the east walk led to the chapter house and dormitory; the west walk was where novices — including child oblates — read, played, and were taught; and the south walk gave access to the refectory. The structure dates mainly from the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries, with the east walk being the oldest section, traceable to the eleventh-century monastery founded by Edward the Confessor. The west and north walks were built under Abbot Litlyngton, who died in 1386. The floor was once strewn with rushes, lanterns hung overhead, and the walls carried painted murals — a space used for both passage and meditation.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · london-tickets.co.uk
Chapel of St Faith
The Chapel of St Faith adjoins the south wall of the Abbey's south transept, built around… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Nurses' Memorial Chapel
The Nurses' Memorial Chapel occupies the upper floor of the Islip Chapel in the north aisl… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Grave of the Unknown Warrior
The Grave of the Unknown Warrior lies just inside the west entrance to Westminster Abbey's… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Chapter House and Pyx Chamber
The Chapter House was built around 1246–1255 on the orders of Henry III, and is one of the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: english-heritage.org.uk · en.wikipedia.org
Westminster Muniments
The Westminster Muniments are a continuous archive of monastic records and manuscripts str… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Darwin's Grave
Charles Darwin died on 19 April 1882 and was buried in the north aisle of Westminster Abbe… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: friendsofdarwin.com · aboutdarwin.com
Newton's Tomb
Isaac Newton was buried in Westminster Abbey on 28 March 1727, the first scientist to be g… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: themathematicaltourist.wordpress.com · churchmonumentssociety.org
Hawking's Grave
Stephen Hawking's ashes were interred in Westminster Abbey's nave on 15 June 2018, in a po… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: cbsnews.com
Chapter House and Pyx Chamber
The Chapter House is an octagonal hall built between 1250 and 1259, one of the largest sur… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Henry VII's Lady Chapel
Henry VII's Lady Chapel stands at the far east end of Westminster Abbey, built in the late… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Westminster Abbey?
Westminster Abbey Museum, Poets' Corner, Henry VII's Lady Chapel and more — 15 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Westminster Abbey guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 10 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).