Westminster Abbey

Our day out to London this year was centred on Westminster Abbey. I thought that I had been there before, but it must have been decades ago as I could not remember anything about the interior. The photograph below is from the Cloisters.

We plumped for the audio tour and Jeremy Irons escorted us so we did not miss a thing. Apart from the awesome architecture (all down to Henry III in the thirteenth century) the most surprising feature was just how many kings and queens are buried there. From Edward I and Edward the Confessor (Edward III) to Elizabeth I and her sister Mary, the list goes on.

I particularly liked the Henry VII Chapel with it's staggering ceiling, although the downloaded photo below does it no justice (photography is not allowed inside the cathedral). The tomb he created for his wife, and where he was later buried, is mightily impressive.

I also liked the Chapter House dating from the 1250's and the beautiful tiled floor. Amazing to think that it was walked upon by The King's Council in 1259.

Coronations have taken place in Westminster Abbey and the Coronation Chair has been used since 1308. We visited the museum to see some of the practice robes and artifacts used for these coronations. In the evening, we watched a recording of a Channel Four Time Team programme called "Secrets of Westminster Abbey" which filled in even more detail of what we had seen. Most notably they showed the Cosmati Pavement in front of the high altar dating from 1268 and that has only just been uncovered and restored. It is all just incredible.

Walking round Parliament Square after we left the cathedral, I spotted the new Supreme Court building. I say new because the court has only been there a year since it opened. Before then it was Middlesex Guildhall and then, after the county was abolished in 1965, it had been converted into a crown court. The renovation work to convert a building cluttered with partitions, cells and seven courtrooms took place between 2007 and 2009. It brought back many hidden architectural details and is now restored to full spendour.

The top floor contains the main courtroom which is the most eyecatching part of the building.

It was warm and sunny as we left Parliament Square. We headed down Whitehall and across Horseguards Parade. Crossing The Mall we made our way to Trafalgar Square. It was late afternoon when we stopped for coffee and it was there we decided to call it a day. Another of our great days out in London.