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Britain - Photo and History Pages SOUTHERN AND SOUTH WEST ENGLAND Paradoxplace BRITISH ABBEYS AND CATHEDRALS
Westminster Abbey, London
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Click on link to go to Paradoxplace photo & history page |
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Medieval Abbeys (monastic foundations) which became Cathedrals (see map)
Canterbury Winchester Durham Ely Norwich Worcester Rochester Bath Abbey Carlisle
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Medieval Secular foundations (see map) built specifically as cathedrals by church and town authorities
York Minster Lincoln Salisbury Exeter Chichester Lichfield Wells Hereford Saint Paul's London (destroyed in 1666 in the Great Fire of London)
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Henry VIII's New Cathedrals c1540 (not shown on map) (All previously monastic foundations)
Westminster Abbey (briefly) Peterborough Oxford Gloucester Bristol Chester
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Westminster Abbey - only a cathedral for ten years (1546 - 1556) of its long life, but most people think of it as one. The tower on the right is not part of the abbey - it belongs to the Houses of Parliament.
The Abbey contains one of the few medieval cathedral shrines to survive Henry VIII's wreckers intact (that of Saint Edward - aka King Edward "the Confessor" (c1004 - 1042 - 1066) son of Ethelred the Unready and Patron Saint of England until George came along), and the tombs of a dozen kings and queens of England including Edward himself, Henry III (d1272), Edward I (d1307) and his Queen, Eleanor (of Eleanor Crosses fame), Edward III (d1377), Richard II (d1399), Henry V (d1422), Edward V (d1483), Henry VII (d1509), Edward VI (d1553), Mary I (d1558), Elizabeth I (d1603) and Charles II (d1658), plus hundreds of other greater and lesser people.
Link to English Kings and Queens from 802 AD to the present
Westminster Abbey website - links to information on the Royal Tombs in the Abbey
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Sadly there is no great crossing tower like those at Canterbury and Lincoln.
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Cloister
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The Quire (looking west) is just one of the magnificent "open spaces" in the Abbey, which of course is also filled with a lot of pokey spaces (or chapels) packed with more tombs than any other church in Britain.
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The Nave, with the grave of the Unknown Warrior in the foreground. |
The ultimate architectural glory - Henry VII's Lady Chapel - the flags are those of the present day Knights Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath.
Follow this link to see who the Knights are and enjoy their taste in crest design
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The Coronation Chair (which is in front of the tomb of Henry V) |
The Shrine of Saint Edward (aka King Edward the Confessor (c1004 - 1042 - 1066))
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Gisant on the tomb of Queen Eleanor of Castile (c1240 - 1290 (50))
This bronze effigy was made by master William Torel, who actually made two - one for Westminster and one for Lincoln Cathedral. The original Lincoln bronze has gone, but the surviving Westminster bronze, cast in one piece, is now one of the earliest large scale bronzes in England. It is recorded that 350 gold florins were purchased from the merchants of Lucca for the gilding.
For over 200 years (presumably till jolly Henry VIII closed Westminster Abbey down in the 1530s and nicked all their assets) "dole" money was handed out by the almoners of Westminster Abbey to the poor on each anniversary of Queen Eleanor's death - 28 November.
This photo comes from "Edward I - A Great and Terrible King" by Marc Morris Buy from Amazon USA Buy from Amazon UK
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Funeral effigy of Henry VII (1457-1485-1509 (52)) - inventor of the Tudor Dynasty. The effigy, in the museum of Westminster Abbey, is thought to have been modelled on a death mask. Henry also adorns the facade of Bath Abbey.
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Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1558 - 1603 (70)) the last monarch of the Tudor Dynasty - contemporary portrait now in Westminster School which is located in the abbey close.
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Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1558 - 1603 (70)), whose tomb is shared by her half sister Queen Mary (1516 - 1553 - 1558 (42))
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Portrait of Richard II (1367-1377-1399 (33)) - the first posed lifelike portrait of an English King. It's actually quite big, but not many people notice it as it is facing the West Door exit, is difficult to see because of the reflected light from its glazing, and there is no explanation of why it is interesting.
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Postcard showing the tomb of Sir Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727 (85))
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Published in September 2008
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This is the fascinating "Historical Guide". If you want a complete location list of the hundreds of tombs and memorials, go for the "Official Guide" as well.
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Links to other Paradoxplace pages
Several of the images used above have been taken from guide books, postcards and other published material as the abbey enforces a no photography rule inside. All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-08 - The contents may not be hotlinked, or reproduced without permission.
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