Places to go
Can't get to Westminster Abbey? There are other abbeys and cathedrals to explore – here are just a few.
Westminster Abbey
There are too many reasons to pay a visit to Westminster Abbey to mention here, but one of the best-known parts is Poets’ Corner, which can be found in the South Transept. It is the burial place of writers, playwrights and poets including Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy.
There is also the octagonal Chapter House, dating from the 1250s, which is one of the largest in England. It is lavishly decorated with sculpture and wall paintings, and contains one of the finest medieval tile pavements in England.
Perhaps one of the best ways to take in the main aspects of the Abbey is on a Verger-led tour. They are available for individuals and family groups only and last for about 40 minutes. They include a tour of the Shrine, the Royal tombs, Poets’ Corner, the Cloisters and the Nave.
Away from the beaten track, housed in the undercroft beneath the former monks’ dormitory, is a museum full of remarkable but little-known treasures. The centrepiece of the exhibition is the Abbey’s collection of royal and other funeral effigies, including Henry VII, Charles II, Elizabeth I and Nelson. Clothes are also on display – a 1603 corset from Elizabeth’s effigy has recently been discovered.
Address: Dean’s Yard
St Paul's Cathedral
London's St Paul’s Cathedral is up there with Westminster Abbey when it comes to impressive buildings.
The interior of the soaring dome, the glittering mosaics, the intricate stone carving and the breathtaking view down the nave towards the Quire are just a few of the reasons why a visit to St Paul’s is a must.
Like Westminster Abbey, many important events have taken place at St Paul’s, from the State funerals of Lord Nelson and Sir Winston Churchill to, more recently, the wedding of Charles and Diana. Reminders of these occasions are in evidence, such as the wrought iron and bronze memorial gates for Churchill in the Crypt.
Visitors can finish their day off with a winding journey up the spiral staircase to the Whispering Gallery to sample its unique audio effects.
Address: St Paul’s Churchyard, Ludgate Hill
Shaftesbury Abbey Museum and Garden
It’s not just grand abbeys like Westminster that give us clues about England’s ecclesiastical past. This modest but once important and influential abbey in Shaftesbury acted as a catalyst for the prosperity of the town and surrounding area for more than 650 years. The excavated foundations lie in a peaceful walled garden – a lasting reminder of its eventful past.
Today the story of the Abbey and its inhabitants has been vividly brought to life in the new, state-of-the-art museum, decorated in dramatic medieval colours chosen to reflect the interior of the original Abbey church.
The plants you can see in the Anglo-Saxon collection are just a few that would have been used by the nuns for flavouring foods, helping to heal the sick and to dye cloth.
Address: Shaftesbury Abbey Museum & Garden, Park Walk, Shaftesbury
Lincoln Cathedral
The Victorian writer John Ruskin said, "I have always held... that the cathedral of Lincoln is out and out the most precious piece of architecture in the British Isles and roughly speaking worth any two other cathedrals we have."
Among its treasures, visitors can see the cathedral’s imposing West Front with its Romanesque Frieze, and the Angel Choir and shrine of St Hugh watched over by the 12in statue, the Lincoln Imp. There’s also a ten-sided Chapter House, site of several early parliaments.
In August 2005 the cathedral was used for the filming of The Da Vinci Code, and the Chapter House was made to look like Westminster Abbey as the abbey had refused to permit filming.
Address: Lincoln Cathedral, Minster Yard, Lincoln
Glastonbury Abbey
As well as the original Abbey buildings, the site has lots of other attractions including Living History characters who roam the grounds from April to October and give a unique insight into the lives of those who lived and worked at the Abbey many centuries ago – you never know who you might bump into!
In the 14th century Glastonbury Abbey was the second wealthiest Abbey in Britain, behind Westminster Abbey. The Visitors’ Centre includes a museum with exhibits about its history and a model of how it might have looked in 1539.
The beautiful grounds include fish and duck ponds, a cider orchard and a picnic and wildlife area.
Address: Glastonbury Abbey, Magdalene Street, Glastonbury
