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This is the view of
Westminster Abbey from Parliament Square:
the North Entrance or the Great North
Door.
This rose window, in the
north transept, dates from 1722
(there is a rose window on the south side, from
1814)
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The great door is set in
an extremely ornate porch with many carved figures;
the Virgin Mary holding a
crowned baby Jesus is on a column in the middle of the doorway, Salvator
Mundi (Christ the Saviour, holding a
globus cruciger) is in a medallion in the tympanum, he is surrounded by angels,
below them are the twelve apostles in a row.
There are many more angels carved
in the arch of the porch.
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On this north side, there
are many more details to look out, if one has time (shields, heads, crosses,
etc.) and other statues in niches with canopies; some at the north entrance,
but also one at the top of each buttress along the building. There seems to be
a mix of saints, church figures, king and queen representation, nobles or
knights (don’t quote me on that, I didn’t take close-up pictures…)
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I took pictures of some of the mythical monsters carved in between the three doorways; they seem to support empty pedestals and they were at eye-level (or should I say hat-level?)
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The north side is
supported by nine buttresses.
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The current building has
been constructed and added to, over at least 700 years
and new galleries are
due to be added, still.
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A few facts about
Westminster Abbey:
UNESCO World Heritage
Site.
Anglican (Church of
England).
British monarchs are
traditionally crowned and buried at Westminster Abbey.
It has witnessed several
royal weddings, including the current Queen’s wedding - when she was still
Princess Elizabeth - and her grandson Prince William’s wedding (2nd in line of
succession).
Westminster Abbey has been
the place of many funerals, including the funeral of his mother, Diana,
Princess of Wales, in 1997.
Actor Lawrence Olivier’s
ashes are buried in Poet’s Corner in the Abbey.
Also inside the Abbey is the
tomb of the Unknown Warrior, whose body was brought from France and buried in
1920.
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Quick History of
Westminster Abbey:
There were Benedict monks
on this site in the 10th century.
In 1065, Edward the
Confessor was buried in the 11th century abbey he had commissioned.
Built in the Romanesque style, it was dedicated to St Peter.
In 1066, the Duke of Normandy,
William the Conqueror, was crowned here.
Henry II started the
abbey’s reconstruction in 1245, with
the inclusion a shrine to King Edward the Confessor - the work was finished by 1517!
It got Cathedral status
under Henry VIII, in 1540, which spared its destruction when he dissolved all
abbeys.
Restored to the Benedictines
under Queen Mary I (1553-58).
With Queen Elizabeth I
(1558-1603), it became the Collegiate Church of St Peter and a Church of
England ‘Royal Peculiar’ – that is under direct jurisdiction of the monarch,
rather than a bishop, and headed by a dean.
Oliver Cromwell was buried
here in 1658, but disinterred 3 years later to be hanged posthumously! He was
then beheaded of his embalmed head…
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‘Big Ben’ and St
Margaret’s Church dwarfed by Westminster Abbey.
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| By Canaletto in 1749 |
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The main entrance is by
the Great West Door.
The two western towers are
18th century (Gothic revival style). Sir Christopher Wren commenced the work on
the design but he did not enjoy mixing different styles of architecture.
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Fancy street lamp: big
church ruining the photo…
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Above the great window with pointed panels, is a cornice with a frieze inscribed
"A. R. GEORGII II. VIII. MDCCXXXV." (1735)
Below the window, is a frieze with colourful coats of arms.
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Since 1998, ten statues of 20th
century Christian martyrs sit in niches above the Great West Door
–
the spaces had always been left vacant since the 14th c. when this part of the
church was added.
Martin Luther King is 5th from the left.
At the same time, four statues of virtues, these martyrs lived their lives by, were added below them: (from left to right) Truth, Justice, Mercy and Peace.
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The order of the statues
has been chosen with “architectural rhythm” in mind.
The 10 Christian
martyrs are (from left to right):
Maximilian Kolbe, Poland,
died 1943: Roman Catholic saint, Franciscan, killed by the Nazis.
Manche Masmeola, South
Africa, died 1928, aged 16: Anglican catechist, killed by her mother.
Janani Luwum, Uganda, died
1977: Anglican archbishop, assassinated during rule of Idi Amin.
Grand Duchess Elizabeth of
Russia, died 1918: Orthodox saint, killed by the Bolsheviks.
Martin Luther King, USA,
died 1968: Baptist civil-rights leader, assassinated.
Oscar Romero, El Salvador,
died 1980: Roman Catholic archbishop, assassinated.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer,
Germany, died 1945: Lutheran theologian, killed by the Nazis.
Esther John, Pakistan,
died 1960: Presbyterian evangelist, killed by her Muslim brother.
Lucian Tapiedi, New
Guinea, died 1942: Anglican, one of 12 killed by Japanese invaders.
Wang Zhiming, China, died
1972: Pastor and evangelist, killed in the Cultural Revolution.
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A prayer, on the left
handside of the entrance, at the bottom of one of the western towers.
May God grant us good
soles, in times of wet floors, especially in outdoor England…
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The memorial to Innocent
Victims of War and Oppression (1998) by Irish sculptor Ken Thompson. The slate
disk, set in a large circular stone base, is inscribed with the words,
“Remember ALL INNOCENT VICTIMS OF OPPRESSION VIOLENCE WAR” and a quote from the
Bible, “Is it nothing to you all you who pass by"
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The flag of Westminster
Abbey features the coat of arms of Edward The Confessor and above it, the House
of Tudor coat of arms, between two Tudor roses.
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The little square in front
of Westminster Abbey is called The Sanctuary and is not square shaped…
The Abbey used to be a
sanctuary, a church in which fugitives could not be arrested, this being
recognized by English law until the 17th c.) This lead to this area being
populated y many criminals; in fact a nearby street used to be called Thieving
Lane.
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Adjacent to the Abbey is a Grade II building known as The
Sanctuary, so as not to confuse it with anything else in the area…
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Built in 1854 “by the
prominent Victoria Architect, Sir George Gilbert Scott,” it is now a block of
office suites and I think may also house part of the Deanery.
It looks in
excellent condition and features some nice stone carving.
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The entrance is
constructed like a gatehouse; through this passage, one can go to Dean’s Yard,
a little garden, part of Westminster Abbey’s precincts, but opened to the
public.
It is the tradition that
pupils from Westminster School (next door) have the right to play football on
the grass – it is said that the game originates from here.
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The memorial and the 1986 Queen
Elizabeth II Centre
seen through the archway of The Sanctuary building
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It has been here since
1861… It was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott to remember former pupils of
Westminster School who died in the Crimean War (1854-56) and the Indian Mutiny
(1857-58).
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The Crimea and Indian
Mutiny Memorial (or Westminster Scholars War Memorial) is made of marble, pink
Peterhead granite and Portland limestone (base). I think it is 19 metres high
approximately. There is a long dedication
on the base and the 19 names of the fallen.
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ELIZABETH REGINA
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VICTORIA REGINA
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HENRY III REX
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The 4 metres high base is
flanked by four lions.
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On the left, ‘Big Ben’ and
St Margaret’s Church strangely seem to stand side by side.
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The memorial and Central
Hall Westminster, the largest conference venue in central London, which also
houses offices and an art gallery. It is also known as Methodist Central Hall
Westminster, as it was the headquarters of the Methodist Church of Great
Britain until 2000. The building was completed in 1908 with donations from
Methodists. One of the first examples in
Britain of a reinforced concrete structure. It is still being used as a
Methodist church and has a grand organ. Churchill, Gandhi and Martin Luther
King have all made speeches here.
It has been used for
public enquiries, including the 10 year long Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
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Nice shadow of Westminster
Abbey on this screenshot!
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Next post: Crossing the
Thames at Westminster Bridge, to follow The Queen’s Walk along the Southbank
http://gherkinscall.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/westminster-bridge.html
http://gherkinscall.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/westminster-bridge.html
