- New edition of this exploration of one of Britain's greatest buildings - A comprehensive, beautifully illustrated survey of Westminster Abbey's art treasures Westminster Abbey has a history stretching back over a thousand years. Founded as a Benedictine monastery in the mid-tenth century, it is the coronation church where monarchs have been crowned amid great splendor since 1066. The present church, begun by Henry III in 1245, is a treasure house of architectural and artistic achievement on which each succeeding century has left its mark. The medieval and Renaissance tombs within the Abbey, though among the most important in Europe, form only a small part of the extraordinary collection of gravestones, memorials and monumental sculpture for which it has long been famous. Ranging from the thirteenth-century shrine of St Edward and the Renaissance splendor of Henry VII's Lady Chapel, to the literary memorials of Poets' Corner and the statues of twentieth-century martyrs on the Abbey's west front, this book describes the stained glass, furniture, sculpture, textiles, wall paintings and many other historic artefacts found within this remarkable church. Contents: Introduction; Edward the Confessor's Chapel; Sacrarium and High Altar; Quire and Crossing; North Transept and Ambulatory; South Ambulatory and Transept; Nave; Lady Chapel; Cloisters; Abbey Precincts.
Westminster Abbey is the most complex church in existence. National cathedral, coronation church, royal mausoleum, burial place of poets, resting place of the great and of the Unknown Warrior, former home of parliament, backdrop to the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales—this rich and extraordinary building unites many functions. Westminster Abbey is both an appreciation of an architectural masterpiece and an exploration of the building’s shifting meanings. We hear the voices of those who have described its forms, moods, and ceremonies, from Shakespeare and Voltaire to Dickens and Henry James; we see how rulers have made use of it, from medieval kings to modern prime ministers. In a highly original book, classicist and cultural historian Richard Jenkyns teaches us to look at this microcosm of history with new eyes.
This lavishly illustrated historical guide to Westminster Abbey is a highly readable account of this great institution, which is central to the long history of Britain.
Presents fifteen step-by-step itineraries for exploring London, plus streamlined tours for seeing the city in a day, in a weekend, for fun, and with children.
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 Chapel of St Nicholas is the chapel at the east end of the South Ambulatory of the Abbey. It does not feature on the Abbey’s audio guide, but is of interest for several of the individuals buried here. The only family entitled as of right to be buried in the Abbey is the family of the Duke of Northumberland. The entrance to the Northumberland vault is situated in this chapel. The vault holds 30 members of the family including the father of the founding donor of the Smithsonian Institution and the most recent arrival, the widow of the 10th Duke of Northumberland, who died in 2012. Other families well represented here are the Seymours and the Cecils. The first ‘resident’ to arrive was Philippa de Mohun, Duchess of York, who died in 1431.
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens, a generously illustrated guide to the city that was perhaps the greatest of his characters From Newgate Prison to Covent Garden and from his childhood home in Camden to his place of burial in Westminster Abbey, this guide traces the influence of the capital on the life and work of one of Britain's best-loved and well-known authors. Featuring more than 40 sites—places of worship and of business, streets and bridges—this comprehensive companion not only locates and illustrates locations from works such as Great Expectations and Little Dorrit but demonstrates how the architecture and landscape of the city influenced Dickens' work throughout his life. Each site is illustrated with substantial quotations from Dickens' own writing about the city he loved.
Rick spends four months each year exploring Europe, and his candid, humorous advice will steer you to the very best sights and museums that London has to offer. You'll beat the lines at the major monuments. You'll find hotels and restaurants that make the most of your vacation budget. You'll navigate the city like a local, using Rick's walking tours as your guide.
In Mark Patton's "The Haunting of Westminster Abbey," you get a madcap romp through British history, metaphysics, zoology, various London landmarks. And puns. Lots of puns. "The Haunting of Westminster Abbey" is an original fiction that intelligently combines royal history, psychopathology and stories deeply rooted in popular culture. "It's a fun, wild, ghost story that I was sorry to see end. I really enjoyed it quite a lot. 5 out of 5 stars." - Emily, amazon "As a neuroscientist, I was fascinated by the way the author parts from a serious mental illness and develops an interesting and historically sound theme that, not only, explains the problem in a whimsical way and posts different ways of containing it (my favorite is "Absinthe"), but also reaches out to the most defiant questions that we all have." - Clemens Bauer About the Story: The foundation of Westminster Abbey rests upon what was once an island - an island that was holy to the Celts and the Romans long before the first Christian Church was built upon it in the eighth century. The church is now home to a community of dead monarchs, nobles, scientists, composers, soldiers, authors, poets and politicians buried within the Abbey. And their ghosts are all under the command of Reverend Poda-Pirudi. As if leading the dead isn't challenging enough for the good Reverend, he invites a hapless architect, Wallace Butterfield, to visit him at his office in the Triforium of Westminster Abbey with a promise to pay for some much-needed work. Butterfield, who thinks it's the offer of a lifetime, believes he is finally moving up in the world - even though the meeting is scheduled at Westminster's Triforium in the middle of the night! Unbeknownst to the architect, a coven of absinthe-drinking witches conspires to intervene in Butterfield's strange meetings with the Reverend. They want what Butterfield has (though Butterfield doesn't know what it is) and they are willing to do anything (kidnapping, torture, even burning him at the stake) to get it. Set inside Westminster Abbey, England's enduring symbol of unity and crowned culture, a community of ghosts, whose remains rest inside the iconic building, arise at the bidding of a strange cleric. The book is well researched and incorporates many of the legends associated with the abbey. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: At nineteen Mark Patton shipped aboard the Research Vessel Chain as a helmsman for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. By his mid-twenties he was flying out of Otis Air Force Base for the National Marine Fisheries Service on weekly North Atlantic Fisheries patrols. After graduating from Northeastern University, he became a roughneck for Delta Drilling in the Texas oil patch. He left Texas to become a police officer and later a head of Natural Resources on Cape Cod. Now retired, he devotes his time between the mountains of northern New Hampshire and his home on Cape Cod, where with his cellist wife, he composes music and pursues his longtime passion for writing. PRAISE: "This read is an amazing and fascinating read!" - Amazon Customer "The closest comparison I can think of is "The Brentford Trilogy " by Robert Rankin, although the finale has distinct echoes of Douglas Adams." - jonxboy The Haunting of Westminster Abbey is an excellent adventure into the bizarre world and mind of the author. Highly Recommended.
