Westminster Abbey

by Brett Westerman

So far my journey to London has both opened my eyes and broadened my perspective on many things. For someone who has never been further east than Idaho the trip from Seattle was compelling enough, but it paled in comparison to my experience at Westminster Abbey. Initially I wasn’t particularly excited about visiting Westminster Abbey and was preoccupied with the historical sites like the Churchill War Rooms, which I found myself so entranced with that I  completely lost track of time to the extent I had to be rescued from the dungeon so I didn’t miss the trip to the Abbey.

 At the time I wasn’t concerned with missing the tour of Westminster Abbey, being so caught up in the historical significance of everything else I was surrounded by in London. This local is so rich with content that even the most casual history geek will find they are so entranced they may easily miss out on many other equally compelling scenes. In hindsight it is folly only being here for  the ten days this trip will last.  Fast forward to the end of the Churchill exhibit, which I had to run through, I found myself sprinting towards the Abby with the hopes I wouldn’t miss the tour.

Arriving at the Abbey the weight of where I found myself sunk in yet again. We met up with our guide Sarah, a “Blue Badge” tour guide who gave a truly comprehensive tour. Walking through the Abbey you are immediately hit with the weight of the world as you tread over the graves of notable thinkers such as Sir Isaac Newtown and Charles Darwin. As easy as it is, one would be remiss to keep their eyes on the stone floor, simply looking up glancing up at the lofty ceilings will spark reverence and pause in even the most cynical man. It seemed impossible to fight the consuming nature of the cathedral. Thoughts of the men who made it, the legends of man who had been there, and the events transpired in that space were truly overwhelming. All the while we walked past the graves of kings, as if we were walking down an aisle of canned fruits and vegetables. The contrast between the seemingly casual nature of the crowd and the spectacle before us was distressing to the point it created an eerie dreamlike scene. The most profound sight was the tomb of Britain’s Unknown Soldier, the one grave no one treads on. The somber words carved in stone do well in explaining the unexplainable, the weight and reverence found in the stone halls of Westminster Abbey.

FOR GOD
FOR KING AND COUNTRY
FOR LOVED ONES HOME AND EMPIRE
FOR THE SACRED CAUSE OF JUSTICE AND
THE FREEDOM OF THE WORLD
THEY BURIED HIM AMONG THE KINGS BECAUSE HE
HAD DONE GOOD TOWARD GOD AND TOWARD
HIS HOUSE