Did You Know? 10 Facts About Westminster Abbey

Coronations, weddings, and the Da Vinci Code... these hallowed halls have seen a lot over the last 1000 years. We've got the answers to all your questions about Westminster Abbey, from its full name to why it's called Britain's Valhalla.

By Matthew Pearson
Published: July 17, 2024
Westminster Abbey

Including...

  • Who’s buried here
  • When it was built
  • And what it’s really called

Westminster Abbey is a large, storied abbey church, and possibly the most famous religious building in the country. A visit to Westminster Abbey transports you through the country's history, with monarchs, writers, scientists and politicians all involved in its 1000-year existence. It’s a highlight of many a London itinerary.

As one of the leading and most popular attractions included with the London Pass, we thought it might be instructive to give you some facts about this famous old church. So, 10 facts about Westminster Abbey, coming right up...

1. It’s peculiar

westminster-abbey-collegiate-church-st-peter

A Royal Peculiar, to be exact. Put simply, this means that Westminster Abbey doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of a bishop and isn’t part of a diocese. Instead, it belongs to the monarch of the country. The whole concept was dreamt up back during Anglo-Saxon times so that churches could show their allegiance to the monarch, rather than a local bishop.

Nowadays, Royal Peculiars remain because of tradition and organisational reasons, rather than the need of individual churches to ally themselves with a sympathetic monarch or distance themselves from a troublesome bishop.

2. It’s A Crowning Achievement

Westminster Abbey has provided the setting for all royal coronations since 1066. Every English and British monarch (except those who were never formally crowned, Edwards V and VIII) since William the Conqueror has been crowned in the abbey. The coronation ceremony has kept a similar form for the last 1000 years. The Archbishop of Canterbury performs the ceremony, which sees the monarch swearing an oath to uphold the law and the church, anointed with holy oil and formally crowned.

3. It’s the Perfect Place For Royals to Celebrate Their Big Day

Yes, Westminster Abbey has hosted a large number of Royal Weddings over the years, including the 2011 event that saw Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot. They were far from the first to see it as the perfect place for their Big Day though. King Henry I married Matilda of Scotland here in 1100, and William’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II married Prince Philip here in 1947. If you want to get married here, it’s definitely handy to have a high-up royal relative (or you could try marrying royalty).

4. It’s Britain’s Valhalla

Westminster Abbey is often referred to as a ‘Britain’s Valhalla’. From Norse mythology, Valhalla, or the ‘Hall of the Slain’, is the final resting place of selected dead warriors. You don’t have to be a warrior to be buried at Westminster Abbey, but it might help your case. 17 monarchs are buried or have memorials at Westminster Abbey, with around 3,300 people buried or memorialised here in total.

Prime Ministers buried here included Clement Attlee, William Pitt (both Elder and Younger) and Neville Chamberlain. Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton are among the other famous British names to find their final resting place within the grounds of Britain’s Valhalla.

5. This site has been used for religious purposes for over 1000 years

Westminster Abbey on a sunny day

The Westminster Abbey site has been used for religious purposes since the 10th century when Benedictine monks worshipped here. The 11th century saw the site first used as a royal church, with Edward the Confessor ordering that a royal burial church be constructed on this spot, just north of the Thames.

The construction of the present building started in 1245 and took more than 100 years to complete. Additions have been made by many Kings and Queens since, including the stunning Henry VII Chapel or “Lady Chapel”, with its magnificent fan vault ceiling.

6. There are a lot of poets at Westminster Abbey

So many that a section of it is called Poets’ Corner. The first poet interred here was Geoffrey Chaucer, who wrote The Canterbury Tales. Others who have been buried or memorialised close to Chaucer include W.H. Auden, T. S. Eliot, John Milton, Rudyard Kipling and William Blake.

7. The coronation chair is located at Westminster Abbey

The chair used in all royal coronations since 1308 sits pride of place within Westminster Abbey. Close inspection of the ceremonial chair - also referred to as King Edward’s Chair - reveals that it is covered in graffiti. The markings are the work of visitors during the 1700s and 1800s. It is now guarded with a level of protection befitting such an important and historic item. So it’s unlikely you’ll be able to scrawl ‘Dave woz ere’ on it during your visit.

8. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

Westminster Abbey

The church’s importance to British history and society has been formally noted, with the building given UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 1987. It is also a Grade I listed building. As a tourist attraction and museum, Westminster Abbey attracts over a million visitors each year.

You could join them, with admission to the abbey included with The London Pass®.

9. Its inclusion in The Da Vinci Code led to a lot of disinformation

Westminster Abbey featured in Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code. As a result, the abbey saw the number of visitors rise, with fans of the novel keen to see one of the book’s key settings up close. However, the story included many factual inaccuracies (it was a work of fiction after all).

So, as was reported at the time, abbey officials began publishing information sheets for tour guides and visitors which corrected many of the historical, factual errors and fictitious elements relating to the abbey in the book.

10. It isn’t really called Westminster Abbey

tourism-london-uk-back-view-tourist

We’ve saved the big one until last: Westminster Abbey isn’t actually called Westminster Abbey. Its real name is the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster. It isn’t as catchy, is it? You wouldn’t have read an article called “Did You Know, 10 Facts About the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster”, would you?

Where to learn about next? Another London landmark perhaps?

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Matthew Pearson
London Travel Expert

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The Royal Naval College in Greenwich, South London.
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South London Attractions

South London is the catch-all term employed for much of the area ‘sarf’ of the River Thames, a mystical zone where West End cabbies fear to tread and where the cool kids hang out at trendy Peckham and Brixton cocktail bars. It’s also where you’ll find fab London landmarks like the Crystal Palace Park dinosaurs, Brockwell Lido, and the fascinating Horniman Museum with its famously overstuffed walrus mascot. Read on for our pick of the South London attractions you should go out of your way to see. Greenwich There are a great many attractions to tempt day trippers to ultra-hip Greenwich, the historic village that sits on a sharp bend of the Thames’s south bank. Chief among these are the Cutty Sark, Royal Museums and Royal Observatory, but there’s loads more to enjoy here. 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Stuart Bak
Stuart Bak
Scary Attractions in London
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Scary Attractions in London

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