Westminster Abbey
2012-07-26 @ 13:12:02
Westminster is one of the oldest and most famous parts of London. It is almost as old as the City. And the most famous building in Wesminster is Westminster Abbey. Westminster Abbey in its earliest shape, dates back to the seventh century. A much finer abbey was built in place of the old one in the eleventh century by Edward the Confessor, one of the last Saxon kings before the Norman Conquest. Later it was rebuilt several times. In its present shape it is an example of English Gothic. Its west towers were designed by Sir Christopher Wren. It is no longer an abbey of course. All monasteries in England were dissolved in the sixteenth century by King Henry VIII. But the old name has remained. All the English kings and queens (except Edward V) were crowned in Westminster Abbey. If you visit it you will see the historic chair on which they all sat during the coronation. In Westminster Abbey there were tombs and memorials of several English kings and famous statesmen, writers, musicians, painters and other great men who have left their mark on English history. In 1947 the Battle of Britain Memorial Chapel was built in the Abbey. There is another important tomb in Westminster Abbey sacred to all Englishmen. It is the tomb of the Unknown Warrior. After the First World War the body of an unknown British soldier killed in France was buried there. The Unknown Warrior represents now all the unknown soldiers who died for their country in both world wars