Westminster Abbey: Celebrating life and death

By Amanda Roley

As you climb the stairs out of the Westminster station, you can’t help but draw your attention upward at the two large Gothic style towers reaching up to the sky. The iconic Westminster Abbey stuns its visitors when they find it is in fact even more grand than they imagined. 

Once you’re able to take in the rest of the surroundings, it can be hard to believe that, what already appears to be cramped streets and sidewalks, could maintain nearly one million people. That is, for one particularly recent royal event.  

“For the royal wedding of Will and Kate, about 19,000 guests attended,” London Blue Badge Guide Sarah Speller said. “And nearly half a million people lined the streets outside the Abbey to celebrate the big day.”

Not only is Westminster Abbey the official location for weddings of the royal family, it’s the home for not all--but many royal coronations.

“Every royal has been crowned here since 1066, which is when King William the Conqueror crowned himself king in Westminster,” Sarah said. 

Therefore, this major tourist attraction not only serves as a church, but it’s also recognized as a place of celebration in both life and death. 

From the floors to the ceiling, this site is the final resting place for many of Britain’s former kings and queens. Such as Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Tudor sisters whose sibling rivalry they took to the grave.

Three kings, King Edward the Confessor, King Henry III and King Henry VII all played significant roles in building the church, and were also buried at Westminster.

That’s not to say it’s only the royals who are buried on the church’s grounds. Even some of the most influential figures also find rest or given recognition at Westminster. Names including William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens and Jane Austin. 

Regardless of what purpose Westminster Abbey serves, it won’t cease to amaze the wondering travelers from all around the world.