Westminster Abbey Tours

I have been very lucky to have visited Westminster Abbey many times, and on each occasion my visits have provided me with a remarkable insight into the history of England. Not only this, but the plethora of amazing people from royals to poets; scientists to explorers, who are buried there is mind-blowing. Charles Darwin is buried under the same roof as Sir Isaac Newton, and now Stephen Hawking too; one can only imagine the conversations they are having in heaven!

The First time I visited the Abbey was on a general tour, and walking in on this occasion, my breath was taken away by the sheer size and opulence of the sacred site. It is an assault on your senses as you begin to take in your surroundings and even now, after multiple visits, it still has the wow factor. It really is astounding the scale that it took to build such a leviathan and the skill the stonemasons had back then.

Even though Elizabeth I, Mary I and many other royals are buried there, my favourite is still Edward the Confessor. He was a Saxon King who was brought up in Normandy. Edward's father was perhaps a bit too religious and strictly imposed his system of beliefs on his son, influencing Edward's very pious lifestyle, which resulted in his long-lasting nickname "the Confessor".

Edward invested a lot of time and money into Westminster abbey, it was his main legacy towards England. He wanted it to rival the Abbeys that were being built in France. This was one of his main motivations, while another was that it was for compensation for his advisers having persuaded him against travelling to Rome. Instead he built his own version right here in his new capital!

Numerous coronations have taken place inside its sacred grounds. The first coronation was in 1042, that of Edward the Confessor himself, and it is still used today as a place of coronation, so Edward's legacy still endures.

In 1043, the year after his coronation, King Edward summoned a French Abbot from the Seine. He was invested as the first Abbot of Westminster Abbey. This was at the same time ast King Edward decided to make London his capital in England. This also helped Westminster to rise to its full splendour, as it had the King's financial support and allowed him to show off his wealth in his new capital.

The Abbey has played many important roles in history and many of us know its links with the monarchy, even if only superficially. However, the Abbey was important for lay people too. For example, Westminster Abbey became a good place for a printing business, as a path led from the old Palace Yard to the door of the south transept which used by members of the Commons on their way to meetings in the Chapter House. This role had a lasting imprint on our society as in 1477 this press also helped publish the Canterbury Tales.

There is so much history to take in when on has a tour of Westminster Abbey. In France they keep the government and the church separate. Whilst in England because of the Church of England and the Queen being head of government and head of the Church they are combined so it has an added sense of grandeur about it.

When one walks into the Abbey you realise how sacred the ground is, there are a lot of famous graves, my favourite of which is of course the tomb of Charles Darwin. I have been lucky enough to have been shown around the abbey by Mr George Darwin and seen where his ancestor was buried. It was a moving experience for me. I think the tomb of Charles Darwin is not as revered as Sir Issac Newtons is although I think they should both be held in equal measure.

My favourite highlight was seeing one of the oldest doors in England as well as kneeling at the tomb of Edward the Confessor. The pietra jura stonework of the Cosmati pavement was also astounding and well worth an added look when you next visit!