London,
Wednesday 22 May 2013 -
09:20
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Westminster Abbey
An abbey fit for a king.
Westminster Abbey was at first a lowly Benedictine monastery on the bank of the Thames. It was King Edward who, in the mid-10th century, decided to restore and expand the edifice into a church dedicated to Saint Peter. It was known at the time as "West Minster", so as to distinguish it from the Saint Paul's Cathedral in the East of London in the City.
Henry III had the edifice rebuilt in a gothic style in the 13th century, decreeing that it would thereafter be the place where monarchs were crowned and would reside.
Today, the edifice is home to a veritable treasure, with paintings, all sorts of accumulated objects throughout the century, and most significant of all the tombs of 17 kings with memorials in their honour.
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