In the biggest change to Westminster Abbey for 250 years, a new museum has been built, accessed by a spectacular new seven storey tower. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries have been built in the roof space over the side chapels, some sixteen metres above floor level. The Galleries display 300 of the Abbey's treasures, ranging from the historic effigies of past kings and queens to the Duke of Cambridge's marriage licence. In addition, for the first time in 800 years, the public can now see spectacular views of the Abbey from the galleries. This booklet tells the story of the building of the tower and galleries. More than 70 photographs reveal some of the amazing discoveries made during the development, which culminated in the grand opening by Her Majesty the Queen in 2018.
A richly illustrated guide to the treasures in The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries - a new exhibition in Westminster Abbey's never-before-seen roof space. In summer 2018, The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries will open in the church's medieval triforium, an internal gallery which runs 70 feet above the floor of the Abbey. Entrance to the space, never before opened to the public, will be through a new tower outside Poets' Corner, opposite the Palace of Westminster. This will be the most significant addition to the Abbey since Nicholas Hawksmoor's iconic towers were completed in 1745. The treasures displayed will reflect the Abbey's rich thousand-year history. The Galleries will also grant magnificent views to Parliament Square and the Palace of Westminster, as well as wonderful vistas across the Abbey, which Betjeman described as "the finest view in Europe". The Galleries mark the final phase of the Abbey's "2020 Vision", which aimed to improve facilities for the Abbey's two million worshippers and visitors. This richly illustrated guide, written by Abbey staff, discusses both the overall themes explored in the exhibition, and a selection of the individual exhibits.Published to coincide with the opening of the Galleries in Summer 2018.
The history book which shows you monarchs as they really were - mad, menacing and murderous! Find out which king died after falling off the toilet, why people thought King John was a werewolf, and why Queen Anne's feet were covered in garlic. Packed with treacherous treason, evil executions and savage struggles for the throne, this is royal history with the nasty bits left in!
A wild romp around London as the Queen loses her hat! From Steve Antony, the author and illustrator of PLEASE, MR. PANDA and BETTY GOES BANANAS!A sudden gust of wind sets off a marvelous adventure for the Queen, lots of Queen's men, and one very special hat. Just where will that hat land? Following a hysterical, epic hat chase, the Queen is reunited with her hat -- and the royal baby!Young children will love the search-and-find fun of the story, the hysterical mayhem that breaks loose, and Steve Antony's winning art style. THE QUEEN'S HAT shows some of London's most famous sites, and back matter explains their significance.
A comprehensive and authoritative history that explores the significance of one of the most famous buildings and institutions in England Westminster Abbey was one of the most powerful churches in Catholic Christendom before transforming into a Protestant icon of British national and imperial identity. Celebrating the 750th anniversary of the consecration of the current Abbey church building, this book features engaging essays by a group of distinguished scholars that focus on different, yet often overlapping, aspects of the Abbey's history: its architecture and monuments; its Catholic monks and Protestant clergy; its place in religious and political revolutions; its relationship to the monarchy and royal court; its estates and educational endeavors; its congregations; and its tourists. Clearly written and wide-ranging in scope, this generously illustrated volume is a fascinating exploration of Westminster Abbey's thousand-year history and its meaning, significance, and impact within society both in Britain and beyond. Paul Mellon Centre for Studies in British Art in association with the Dean and Chapter of the Collegiate Church of St Peter Westminster (Westminster Abbey)/Distributed by Yale University Press
The Ladybird Book of London is a gem from the Ladybird vintage archive. First published in 1961, this is a classic Ladybird hardback book, packed with information about Britain's capital. This new edition is exactly the same as the original, with a dust jacket and beautifully reproduced images. 'The story of London, her sights and history, is illustrated with twenty-four beautiful full-page pictures. Starting from Trafalgar Square this book takes you through famous streets to see historic buildings, to learn something of the story of Britain's famous capital. Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower, Guildhall and the City, Hampton Court and Kew Gardens, the Zoo and Madame Tussaud's - they are all here.'
Constructed in 1297−1300 for King Edward I, the Coronation Chair ranks amongst the most remarkable and precious treasures to have survived from the Middle Ages. It incorporated in its seat a block of sandstone, which the king seized at Scone, following his victory over the Scots in 1296. For centuries, Scottish kings had been inaugurated on this symbolic ‘Stone of Scone’, to which a copious mythology had also become attached. Edward I presented the Chair, as a holy relic, to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey, and most English monarchs since the fourteenth century have been crowned in it, the last being HM Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. The Chair and the Stone have had eventful histories: in addition to physical alterations, they suffered abuse in the eighteenth century, suffragettes attached a bomb to them in 1914, they were hidden underground during the Second World War, and both were damaged by the gang that sacrilegiously broke into Westminster Abbey and stole the Stone in 1950. It was recovered and restored to the Chair, but since 1996 the Stone has been exhibited on loan in Edinburgh Castle. Now somewhat battered through age, the Chair was once highly ornate, being embellished with gilding, painting and colored glass. Yet, despite its profound historical significance, until now it has never been the subject of detailed archaeological recording. Moreover, the remaining fragile decoration was in need of urgent conservation, which was carried out in 2010−12, accompanied by the first holistic study of the Chair and Stone. In 2013 the Chair was redisplayed to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Coronation of HM The Queen. The latest investigations have revealed and documented the complex history of the Chair: it has been modified on several occasions, and the Stone has been reshaped and much altered since it left Scone. This volume assembles, for the first time, the complementary evidence derived from history, archaeology and conservation, and presents a factual account of the Coronation Chair and the Stone of Scone, not as separate artifacts, but as the entity that they have been for seven centuries. Their combined significance to the British Monarchy and State – and to the history and archaeology of the English and Scottish nations – is greater than the sum of their parts. Also published here for the first time is the second Coronation Chair, made for Queen Mary II in 1689. Finally, accounts are given of the various full-size replica chairs in Britain and Canada, along with a selection of the many models in metal and ceramic which have been made during the last two centuries.
