Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is steeped in more than a thousand years of history. Benedictine monks first came to this site in the middle of the tenth century, establishing a tradition of daily worship which continues to this day.

The Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the final resting place of seventeen monarchs.

The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is one of the most important Gothic buildings in the country, with the medieval shrine of an Anglo-Saxon saint still at its heart.

A treasure house of paintings, stained glass, pavements, textiles and other artefact's, Westminster Abbey is also the place where some of the most significant people in the nation's history are buried or commemorated. Taken as a whole the tombs and memorials comprise the most significant single collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the United Kingdom.

The Library and Monument Room houses the important (and growing) collections of archives, printed books and manuscripts belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Westminster, providing a centre for their study and for research into all aspects of the Abbey's long and varied history.

Royals and the Abbey

Westminster Abbey has always enjoyed close links with the monarchy not least in its unbroken role as the coronation church since 1066.

Kings and queens have been significant benefactors of the Abbey, beginning with King Edgar (reigned 959–75) who gave the original monastic community at Westminster substantial lands covering most of what is now the West End of London. Almost a hundred years later King Edward (later Edward the Confessor) established his palace close to this monastic community and built for it a large stone church which became his own burial place. In the mid-thirteenth century Henry III rebuilt the Confessor’s church, providing the Gothic building we have today. Henry’s own burial here in 1272 established Westminster as the principal royal burial place for the next 500 years. Richard II, Henry V, Henry VII and Elizabeth I were all influential in shaping the Abbey’s history.

Westminster Abbey or - to use its formal name - the Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster, is a ‘Royal Peculiar’. This means it is a free chapel of the Sovereign, exempt from any ecclesiastical jurisdiction other than that of the Sovereign. Royal Peculiar's originated in Anglo-Saxon times and developed as a result of the unique relationship between the Norman and Plantagenet Kings and the English Church. In 1222 the Abbey was declared a Papal Peculiar, exempt from the jurisdiction of both the Bishop of London and the Archbishop of Canterbury. It has been a Royal Peculiar since 1533 when the Ecclesiastical Licences Act, as confirmed by the Act of Supremacy of 1559, transferred to the Sovereign the jurisdiction which had previously been exercised by the Pope. Other Royal Peculiar's include St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle and the Chapels Royal.

Benedictine Monastery

The monks at Westminster Abbey wore the black habit of the Order of St Benedict, who had originally established the Benedictine rules for the monks of his own abbey at Monte Cassino in Italy about 540 AD.  According to the Rule they were to take a vow of obedience, lead a simple and self-denying life, be celibate and own no property.  The simple celebration of the daily services in praise of God was their first duty, and work (often farm work) and reading took up the rest of their time.  At a time when very few people, even kings, could write, monasteries were the main source of education.  As they became richer and more monks were ordained priests the tradition of manual work ceased and they were more concerned with administration of their lands and possessions.

The first monks were brought to Westminster in about 960 AD by St Dunstan, then Bishop of London.  No trace of the building to which they came has been found as King Edward the Confessor built a new Abbey on the site, which was consecrated on 28 December 1065. It was built on a marshy area called Thorney Island, surrounded by tributaries of the Tyburn river. The numbers of monks at Westminster varied through the centuries from about 30 to 60, although only 24 were left when Henry VIII dissolved the monastery in 1540. But the community also included many lay servants, masons, and almsmen. Only the Pyx Chamber and the Undercroft (now the Museum) in the cloisters remain from Edward’s 11th century Abbey. In 1245 Henry III began rebuilding much of the Church in the new Gothic style of architecture. The monastic buildings from this period, like the magnificent octagonal Chapter House, still survive today, though some are incorporated into later structures.  The great dormitory is now divided into the Abbey Library and the Great Hall of Westminster School, and the Prior's residence is now part of Ashburnham House.  The garden, where the monks took exercise and grew herbs, can still be visited.  Part of the Infirmary now forms the Little Cloister. It was here that the sick were cared for and where the elderly monks lived.  They were exempted from the ordinary regulations of the Abbey, and the Infirmary had its own chapel dedicated to St Catherine.

The cloisters were the centre of monastic life where the monks spent most of their time when not at prayer or taking part in the daily services.  In the west cloister the novices were taught and for relaxation they played a popular game of marbles called "nine holes".  The monks worked in the north cloister, where they were sheltered from cold winds and got most of the sun.  At first only the upper sections of the windows were glazed and it was very cold in winter.  Later, rushes were strewn on the stone floor and wooden partitions were erected to form individual "carrells" where the monks could read and study.  The scriptorium, for those engaged in copying and illuminating manuscripts, was set up elsewhere. In the south cloister was the entrance to the refectory and towels hung in the four (restored) niches which can still be seen by what is now the entrance to the Abbey Song School.  The washing place was in the first bay of the west cloister.  The monks ate lots of fish (herrings, oysters, sturgeon, whelks, cod etc.) and had beef, mutton, pork and some chicken and duck, with bread, beer, cheese and eggs but very few vegetables. There was a bath house (with hot water) and a shaving house in the precincts but the monks only took about four baths a year. The latrines were at the end of the “dark” cloister (a continuation of the eastern walk).  In the east cloister the community met each day in the Chapter House to have a chapter of the Rule of St Benedict read to them and to have any punishments meted out.  Next door were the day stairs to the dormitory (now the entrance to the Library).  This was a very large room and by the 14th century was divided into cubicles, with curtains to ensure privacy.  Only some of the monks actually slept here, as many had private quarters.  No fire was allowed and in the early Middle Ages they slept in their day clothes.  By the 15th century they had special night coats over their underwear.  In this cloister on the Thursday before Easter the Abbot used to wash the feet of thirteen elderly men (although someone else had washed them first to make sure they were clean!), kissed their feet and distributed the Maundy alms in memory of Christ's last supper with his disciples.

The daily round of services usually commenced with Matins at midnight, Lauds at daybreak, and Prime at about 6am.  Terce, Sext, and None were said before dinner and Vespers at 6pm. The monks retired to bed at about 8pm in winter and 9pm in summer. The Abbots of Westminster were important and powerful men and were often employed by the king on state business. William of Colchester was so involved in politics that in 1400 he was sent to the Tower of London for a time for his part in a plot to restore Richard II to the throne.  John Islip used to entertain Henry VII, serving the king with his favourite marrowbone puddings. Westminster Abbey owned much property in London, such as Hampstead, Paddington and Knightsbridge, and in many parts of England.  Windsor was part of Edward the Confessor's endowment but William the Conqueror decided he wanted this for hunting and the Abbey exchanged it for Battersea and Wandsworth and lands in Essex.  Henry VIII also swapped property with the Abbey - to the Abbey's disadvantage.  In return for the lands of the Priory of Hurley, which he dissolved in l536 and which was already a daughter-house of Westminster, the king received Covent (Convent) Garden (the monks' vegetable garden), Hyde Park and a good deal of property in Westminster.

On 16 January 1540 monastic life at Westminster came to an end when Henry VIII dissolved the monastery and the deed of surrender was signed. Many of the monks retired or went into "civilian" life.  However, the Abbot became the first Dean of the new Cathedral Church founded by Henry and the Prior and several monks became clergy in the new church.  A bishop was appointed to the new see of Westminster but after ten short years the bishopric was surrendered and the Church became a Cathedral within the diocese of London.

The monks, however, were destined to return just for a short time when Queen Mary I, a Roman Catholic, restored the Benedictine Abbey under Abbot Feckenham in 1556.  Monks were brought together from former establishments and at least two monks from the previous Westminster community returned.  But Mary died in November 1558 and her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth I became Queen and the monks were removed.  Elizabeth established the present Collegiate Church of St Peter, Westminster (the Abbey's correct title) in 1560.

The Jerusalem Chamber

(this room is not open to the public)

The medieval house of the Abbots of Westminster was known as Cheyneygates. The principal room, the Jerusalem Chamber, was added by Nicholas Litlyngton (Abbot of Westminster 1362-86). The origin of the name is uncertain but it was not uncommon in the Middle Ages to assign names to rooms, as here at the Abbey there are ‘Jerusalem’, ‘Jericho’ and ‘Samaria’. The Jerusalem Chamber is now entered from the smaller room known as the Jericho Parlour. This latter room was built by John Islip who was Abbot from 1500 to 1532. The ‘linenfold’ panelling here is original. In the window of the Parlour are some quarries of glass bearing Abbot Islip’s rebus, or pun on his name, ‘I slip’ with an eye and a slip (or branch).

The roof of the Jerusalem Chamber is original, although it was restored in the 1950s due to death-watch beetle damage. On the timbers are Abbot Litlyngton’s initials under a mitre and a crowned letter R for Richard II in whose reign the room was built. The panelling, copied from that in the Jericho Parlour, was added in the late 19th century by Dean Stanley and is made of cedar wood from Lebanon. The tapestries are of varied provenance. Some are part of a series depicting the History of Abraham, woven in France in the 16th century, and of which other parts may be seen at Hampton Court. These were at one time hung around the High Altar in the Abbey for great occasions, and then were cut to fit the spaces in the Chamber. Above the door and to the right are fragments depicting the return of Sarah from Egypt and at the far end of the room is the Circumcision of Isaac. Opposite this is a 17th century tapestry of Rebekah at the well and to the left of the door is the only complete tapestry, made in England by a weaver using a Flemish mark in the late 17th century. It depicts St Peter healing the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. The latter two tapestries were given by Lord John Thynne, Sub-Dean of Westminster, in 1871. Most of the stonework of the fireplace is original but the top section dates from the time of Dean William Foxley Norris (1925-37). The shields are, from left to right, Abbot Litlyngton, Edward the Confessor, the medieval Abbey of Westminster, King Henry IV or V and Dean Norris. In front of this fireplace took place what is perhaps the best known event in the room’s history: the death of King Henry IV. In 1413 the King was planning to go to the Holy Land, and when praying at St Edward’s Shrine in the Abbey he was taken ill, apparently with a stroke. He was brought to the Abbot’s house and laid by the fire where he recovered consciousness. King Henry asked where he was and was told ‘Jerusalem’. The chronicle relates that the King realized he was going to die because it had been prophesied that he would die in Jerusalem. In Henry IV, Part II, Shakespeare tells this story of the King’s death and also has Prince Henry trying on the crown while his father lay dying. The two plaster busts at the south end of the room represent Henry IV and Henry V. The former is copied from the effigy on the Henry IV’s tomb in Canterbury Cathedral.

After the Benedictine monastery was dissolved in 1540 the Abbot’s House, including the Jerusalem Chamber, was granted to the Bishop of Westminster (1540-50). Later on this house became the Deanery and it was here in 1624 that John Williams, Dean of Westminster and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, entertained the French Ambassador who had come to arrange the marriage of the future King Charles I with Henrietta Maria. Dean Williams commemorated this event by adding the present wooden mantle over the fireplace. A marquetry longcase clock, signed by Robert Clements and dating from about 1686, stands nearby and was presented in 1977. The crystal chandeliers were given in 1956 by Guy Wellby.

In the Jerusalem Chamber many historic meetings have been held: the committees engaged on writing the Authorized Version of the Bible in 1611, the Revised Version in 1870, the New English Bible in 1961 and the Revised English Bible in 1989. In the winter of 1643 the Westminster Assembly of Divines met in the Chamber, and the Upper House of Convocation has often gathered here. The bodies of many famous people, for example, Joseph Addison, Sir Isaac Newton and William Congreve, have lain here before being buried in the Abbey. The Chamber, which is one of the private rooms of the Deanery, is now used for meetings of the Dean and Chapter, and for private gatherings and receptions as arranged or permitted by the Dean.

WAR AND THE ABBEY 1939-1945.

On the outbreak of the second world war in 1939 many of the Abbey’s treasures were evacuated for safety to country houses, such as Mentmore. These included the 13th century Retable (altarpiece), tapestries, gilt bronze and oak tomb effigies, manuscripts, misericords, and statues and gates from the Lady Chapel. The bronze grille from Henry VII’s tomb was also removed. The small numbers stamped on the grille to enable it to be rebuilt afterwards can still be seen. Some of the stained glass windows were boarded over but quite a lot of glass was blown out by blast, especially in 1940.

About 60,000 sandbags were used to protect immovable royal and medieval tombs. The Coronation Chair was sent for safety to Gloucester Cathedral and the Coronation Stone was buried secretly within the Abbey. The collection of wax funeral effigies was stored in Piccadilly tube station. The Pyx Chamber was used as the Abbey ARP [Air Raid Precautions] headquarters, College Hall was used by the fire watchers and the Museum was made ready as a dressing station and dispensary. An air raid shelter was available for the Abbey clergy in College Garden. The choirboys were evacuated but later on in the war a choir was formed with local boys and men singing on weekdays, Sundays and at special services.

The worst air raid at the Abbey was on the night of 10/11 May 1941. Clusters of incendiaries (fire bombs rather than high explosives) fell on the roof of the Abbey and in the precincts. Most were quickly put out by the firewatchers and volunteers but one on the lantern roof, in the centre part of the Abbey, burned through the lead and lodged in a beam and could not easily be reached. By this time water supplies were very low. Flames leaped 40 feet into the sky. Luckily the burning timbers and molten lead fell into the mostly open area below (where monarchs are enthroned at a coronation) and the fire was more easily extinguished. The medieval Cosmati pavement and tombs in this area had been boarded over earlier in the war so were undamaged. Lead splattered on the pulpit and choir stalls.

On this night the Deanery and Cheyneygates was gutted by fire but the Jerusalem Chamber, Jericho Parlour and College Hall escaped. Westminster School Hall and the School Dormitory, and numbers 3, 6 and 7 Little Cloister [clergy houses] were also destroyed. Other houses and the Library roof sustained damage. Services continued throughout the war with the nave altar being used after the May raid.

On VE (Victory in Europe) Day, 8th May 1945, short services of thanksgiving were held every hour in the Abbey from 9am to 10pm. An estimated 25,000 people attended during the day, with the Lord Chancellor and House of Lords attending at 3pm (the House of Commons went to St Margaret’s Westminster). A service was also held on the following Sunday, 13th May, when the standards of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa were laid on the High Altar to symbolise the loyalty of the whole Empire during the war. Services to celebrate VJ (Victory over Japan) Day were held on 15th and 16th August 1945 with great crowds attending.

And believe it or not just a stone throw away from the Abbey is the Westminster arms, where everyone from the houses of parliament and surrounding businesses gather for their daily pint - told you its a English tradition...

Information c/o www.westminster-abbey.org