What is it?
Remember when the whole world tuned into Will and Kate's big royal wedding in 2011? Well, that spectacular setting was Westminster Abbey, the storied London church where generations of monarchs have tied the knot through the centuries. It was built between 1220 and 1272 by King Henry III, its gorgeous gothic confines growing more and more elaborate as time wore on.
Why go?
Well, obviously it's stunning as a piece of architecture, with its elaborate perpendicular gothic facade decked with innumberable turrets that pierce the sky like something out of Lord of the Rings. Its interior is equally striking, especially the elaborately vaulted stone roof that'll have you gazing up in wonder. Look down and things get even more interesting. Like the Pantheon Crypt in Paris, where you can see the tombs and memorials to great figures from history, Westminster Abbey is full of a historic array of graves, tablets, busts and stone dedications. Seventeen kings and queens are buried here, along with dukes, countesses and history’s ‘celebs’ – including George Frideric Handel and Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Hardy, Behn, Olivier, etc. There’s an entire stained glass window dedicated to Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and the famous Poet's Corner memorialising famous authors in the South Transept, including DH Lawrence, Jane Austen, Dylan Thomas, Lewis Carroll, Shakespeare and many more.
Shake off any morbid thoughts after all that grave-visiting by exploring the Abbey's beautiful grounds afterwards. There are four in all: the original Garth, Little Cloister and College Gardens, as well as the more recent addition, St Catherine's Garden. The College Garden is one of the most intriguing, as it is home to the original infirmarer’s patch, which was (and still is) used to grow medicinal herbs and foods for the residents of the Abbey.
A recently reopened addition to the Abbey are The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, housed 70 feet above the floor of the Abbey and hidden from the public gaze for over 700 years. They give you beautiful views into the Palace of Westminster and the church, and feature medieval manuscripts and royal death masks plucked from the Abbey’s thousand-odd-year history.
Don’t miss:
Westminster Abbey is a magnificent place to hear choral performances, classical concerts and recitals. On Sunday afternoons there are free 30-minute organ recitals at 5pm and daily there are services as Abbey life continues around you.
When to visit:
Westminster Abbey is still a fully functioning church, so it's closed to the general public on Sunday (unless you're attending a service, of course). Otherwise, it's open Monday-Friday 9.30am-3.30pm, and Saturday 9am-3pm.
Ticket info:
Adult tickets are £30, with concessions £27 and children £13. A multimedia guide is included in the cost of admission.
Time Out tip:
Refreshments are available at the Cellarium Café and Terrace, but it can get seriously busy: so why not bring a picnic and enjoy it in the calm of the College Garden, a 900-year-old green space thought to be the oldest garden in England.