WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Renee Teoh Yen Qin 0322438

Effective Public Communications (COM 30103)

Oral Presentation (Part I) Religious Buildings Around the World

Westminster Abbey London, England

Royal Wedding in Westminster Abbey

historical background//

Westminster Abbey

Historical Background

• Founded in 1065

• Built by Edward the Confessor

• Collegiate Church of St. Peter, Westminster

• Coronation church since 1066

• Final Resting place for 17 Monarchs

• Still a working church and a monument of England

Historical Background

• It was rebuilt by King Henry lll after in the middle of the 13th Century.

• Consecrated on 13 October 1269

• King Henry VII built the Lady chapel as a new addition to the Abbey in 1516

• With that, Most Honourable Order of the Bath has been held there since 1725

• Established as a Cathedral Church in 1540

• Thomas Thirlby first and only Bishop of Westminster

• 29 March 1550, Bishopric was ceased and reunited with Westminster

• Benedictine monastery under Abbot John Feckenham was restored in 1556 by Mary I

Edward the Confessor

King Henry III of England

Coronation Chair and The Stone of Scone

King Henry VII

Queen Mary I Lady Chapel,

Westminster Abbey

structure & layout//

Westminster Abbey

Structure & Layout

• Gothic Architecture

• With Slender vertical piers, counterbalancing buttresses, vaulting and pointed arches.

• Also with the medieval gothic architecture, there is the nave, transepts and choir.

Pointed Arches & Ribbed Vault inside Westminster Abbey

Structure & Layout

• North West Towers contains a ring of 10 bells and a one handed clock.

• Nave was built to accommodate procession and contains the tomb of the Unknown Warrior who was buried in the 1920s

• Western Towers were built between 1722 and 1745 by Nicholas Hawksmoor. The stye is an early gothic revival and it was built from Portland stone. North & North West

Towers, Westminster Abbey

Structure & Layout

• Choir holds daily services and the seats are carved by wood.

• Crossing is located at the centre of the Abbey church. It acts as an auditorium where coronations take place.

• Chapter House used for daily meetings of the medieval abbey monks.

• Poet’s Corner located at the south transept where major poet’s are buried. Nave, Choir &

Crossing, Westminster Abbey

Structure & Layout

• Great Pavement was laid in 1268 by King Henry III. It contains thousands of stone mosaic pieces.

• Lady Chapel was built between 1503 and 1519 by Henry VII

• Sanctuary is a sacred centre where the shrine of St Edward and tombs of medieval English kings are located. It houses the high altar. Shrine of Edward the

Confessor in the high altar, Westminster

Abbey

Exterior

Layout of Westminster Abbey

Interior

Great Pavement, Westminster Abbey

One Hand Clock, Westminster Abbey

Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey

types of ornamentation used//

Westminster Abbey

The 10 Martyrs above the Great West Door, Westminster Abbey

From Left to Right: Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia, Martin Luther King, Óscar Romero, Dietrich

Bonhoeffer

types of materials used//

Westminster Abbey

Column in Westminster Abbey (Purbeck Marble)

Stained Glass Windows, Westminster Abbey

Cloister at Westminster Abbey (Caen Stone from France)

extra information//

Westminster Abbey

Jane Austen’s Tablet, Poet’s Corner

Charles Darwin’s Grave

• Bust

• Grave

• Plaque

• Stall Plate

• Statues

• Stone

• Tablet

• Tomb

• Urn

• Window

Types of Memorials

Sir Issac Newton’s Tomb

Westminster Abbey’s Choir School

• Boarding school for 30 or so boys who sing as choristers in the Abbey Choir.

• They learn to sing, read music, play games, carry out activities and do school work on a daily basis.

• School fees are subsidised by Westminster Abbey, but 20% are collected from the parents as contribution to run the cost of the school.

Westminster Abbey Choir

references

• http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/timeline

• http://www.halinaking.co.uk/Location/Yorkshire/Frames/History/0960%20Westminster%20Abbey/Westminster%20Abbey.htm#

• https://www.awesomestories.com/asset/view/Westminster-Abbey-Stained-Glass-Windows

• http://www.aviewoncities.com/buildings/london/westminsterabbey.htm

• https://images.google.com

• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/heritage-westminster-abbey-prepares-modern-martyrs-corner-1236492.html

• https://sites.google.com/site/westminsterabbeyinfo/destruction