Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey
Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster
A white church with two towers
Westminster Abbey's western facade
Westminster Abbey is located in City of Westminster
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
LocationDean's Yard,
London, SW1
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Previous denominationCatholic Church
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholic
Websitewestminster-abbey.org Edit this at Wikidata
History
StatusCollegiate church
Foundedc. 959
Consecrated28 December 1065,
13 October 1269
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationUNESCO World Heritage Site
Designated1987
Specifications
Nave width85 feet (26 m)[1]
Height101 feet (31 m)[1]
Floor area32,000 square feet (3,000 m2)[1]
Number of towers2
Tower height225 feet (69 m)[1]
MaterialsReigate stone; Portland stone; Purbeck marble
Bells10
Administration
DioceseExtra-diocesan (royal peculiar)
Clergy
DeanDavid Hoyle
Canon(s)see Dean and Chapter
Laity
Director of musicAndrew Nethsingha
(Organist and Master of the Choristers)
Organist(s)Peter Holder
(sub-organist)
Matthew Jorysz
(assistant)
Organ scholarDewi Rees
Coordinates51°29′58″N 00°07′39″W / 51.49944°N 0.12750°W / 51.49944; -0.12750
Foundedc. 959
Official namePalace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and Saint Margaret's Church
TypeCultural
Criteriai, ii, iv
Designated1987 (11th session)
Reference no.426
CountryUnited Kingdom
RegionEurope and North America
Listed Building – Grade I
Official nameWestminster Abbey (The Collegiate Church of St Peter)
Designated24 February 1958
Reference no.1291494[2]

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs. At least 16 royal weddings have taken place at the abbey since 1100.

Although the origins of the church are obscure, an abbey housing Benedictine monks was on the site by the mid-10th century. The church got its first large building from the 1040s, commissioned by King Edward the Confessor, who is buried inside. Construction of the present church began in 1245 on the orders of Henry III. The monastery was dissolved in 1559, and the church was made a royal peculiar – a Church of England church, accountable directly to the sovereign – by Elizabeth I. The abbey, the Palace of Westminster and St Margaret's Church became a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987 because of their historic and symbolic significance.

The church's Gothic architecture is chiefly inspired by 13th-century French and English styles, although some sections of the church have earlier Romanesque styles or later Baroque and modern styles. The Henry VII Chapel, at the east end of the church, is a typical example of Perpendicular Gothic architecture; antiquarian John Leland called it orbis miraculum ("the wonder of the world").

The abbey is the burial site of more than 3,300 people, many prominent in British history: monarchs, prime ministers, poets laureate, actors, musicians, scientists, military leaders, and the Unknown Warrior. Due to the fame of the figures buried there, artist William Morris described the abbey as a "National Valhalla".

  1. ^ a b c d "Dimensions of Westminster Abbey" (PDF). Westminster Abbey. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  2. ^ "Westminster Abbey (The Collegiate Church of St Peter)". Historic England. Archived from the original on 14 May 2022. Retrieved 30 January 2023.