Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is one of the world’s greatest churches.

Westminster Abbey with a procession of Knights of the Bath (1749)
Credit: Canaletto

According to a tradition first reported by Sulcard in about 1080, a church was founded at the site, then known as Thorn Ey (Thorn Island), in the 7th century, at the time of Mellitus (d. 624), a Bishop of London. The island was a marshy retreat from the City of London, flanked by two channels of the Tyburn River, which flowed where Downing Street and Great College Street now run. Construction of the present church was begun in 1245, on the orders of Henry III.

It is a designated World Heritage Site and ‘Royal Peculiar’, which means the Dean is directly answerable to the monarch. The coronation of Kings and Queens has taken place here since 1066, and many of the nation’s Kings and Queens are buried in the Abbey. Principal among them is St Edward the Confessor, King of England from 1042 to 1066, whose shrine is at the heart of the Abbey. The Abbey has hosted many royal weddings.

Apart from the royal graves, there are many famous commoners interred here, especially in Poets’ Corner, where you’ll find the resting places of Chaucer, Dickens, Hardy, Tennyson, Dr Johnson and Kipling as well as memorials to the other greats (Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Brontë etc). Nearby are the graves of Handel and Sir Isaac Newton.

The octagonal Chapter House dates from the 1250s and was where the monks would meet for daily prayer before Henry VIII’s suppression of the monasteries some three centuries later. Used as a treasury and ’Royal Wardrobe’, the cryptlike Pyx Chamber dates from about 1070. The neighbouring Abbey Museum has as its centrepiece the death masks of generations of royalty.

In the Abbey precincts lies St Margaret’s Church (the Church of the House of Commons), the Great and Little Cloisters, the Chapter House and Museum, and College Garden, the oldest garden in England. The Abbey Library and Muniments Room offer research facilities by appointment. Also here are Westminster School, strongly associated with the Abbey, and Westminster Abbey Choir School, which educates the Abbey’s choristers.

TIP: If you choose an historical map, an 'opacity' control will appear top right. Slide it to fade in the old map compared to a new map.

Licence: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence

NEARBY LOCATIONS OF NOTE

Westminster Westminster - heart of government.

Westminster

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is one of the world’s greatest churches.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster to Green Park walk The heart of government

Westminster to Green Park walk

NEARBY STREETS

Abbey Orchard Street, SW1P Abbey Orchard Street was the heart of a former slum area (Westminster)

Abbey Orchard Street, SW1P

Abingdon Street, SW1P Abingdon Street has linked Old Palace Yard and Millbank since at least 1593 (Westminster)

Abingdon Street, SW1P

Artillery House, SW1P Artillery House is a block on Artillery Row (Westminster)

Artillery House, SW1P

Artillery Place, SW1P Artillery Place was named after a former nearby artillery practice ground which stood here in the 19th century (Westminster)

Artillery Place, SW1P

Asquith House, SW1P Asquith House is a block on Monck Street (Westminster)

Asquith House, SW1P

Barton Street, SW1P Barton Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Barton Street, SW1P

Bennett’s Yard, SW1P Bennett’s Yard is a road in the SW1P postcode area (Westminster)

Bennett’s Yard, SW1P

Birdcage Walk, SW1H Birdcage Walk runs east from Great George Street, along the south side of St James’s Park (St James’s Park)

Birdcage Walk, SW1H

Blue Bridge, SW1A Blue Bridge crosses St James’s Park lake (St James’s Park)

Blue Bridge, SW1A

Bridge Street, SW1A Bridge Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area (Westminster)

Bridge Street, SW1A

Broad Sanctuary, SW1P Broad Sanctuary is a road in the SW1H postcode area (Westminster)

Broad Sanctuary, SW1P

Broadway, SW1H Broadway - formerly the location of the headquarters of both London Transport and the Metropolitan Police (Westminster)

Broadway, SW1H

Butler Place, SW1H Butler Place is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (Westminster)

Butler Place, SW1H

Canon Row, SW1A Canon Row is at least one thousand year’s old (Westminster)

Canon Row, SW1A

Carteret Street, SW1H Carteret Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (Westminster)

Carteret Street, SW1H

Caxton House, SW1H Caxton House is a block on Tothill Street (Westminster)

Caxton House, SW1H

Caxton Street, SW1H William Caxton was responsible for the introduction of the printing press to England (St James’s Park)

Caxton Street, SW1H

Central Buildings, SW1P Central Buildings is a block on Matthew Parker Street (Westminster)

Central Buildings, SW1P

Chadwick Street, SW1P Chadwick Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Chadwick Street, SW1P

Chubb Court, SW1P Chubb Court is a road in the SW20 postcode area (Westminster)

Chubb Court, SW1P

Church House, SW1P Church House is a block on Great Smith Street (Westminster)

Church House, SW1P

Clutha House, SW1P Clutha House is a block on Storey’s Gate (Westminster)

Clutha House, SW1P

Cockpit Steps, SW1H Cockpit Steps leads from Birdcage Walk to Old Queen Street (Westminster)

Cockpit Steps, SW1H

Commissioner’s Yard, SW1A Commissioner’s Yard is a small street behind New Scotland Yard (Westminster)

Commissioner’s Yard, SW1A

Cowley Street, SW1P Cowley Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Cowley Street, SW1P

Curtis Green Building, SW1A Curtis Green Building can be found on Victoria Embankment (Westminster)

Curtis Green Building, SW1A

Dacre House, SW1H Dacre House is a block on Dacre Street (Westminster)

Dacre House, SW1H

Dacre Street, SW1H Dacre Street is named after Lady Anne Dacre (Westminster)

Dacre Street, SW1H

Dartmouth Street, SW1H Dartmouth Street leads north from Tothill Street and dates from the seventeenth century (Westminster)

Dartmouth Street, SW1H

Dean Farrar Street, SW1H Frederic William Farrar was a canon of Westminster Abbey (Westminster)

Dean Farrar Street, SW1H

Dean Stanley Street, SW1P Dean Stanley Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Dean Stanley Street, SW1P

Dean Trench Street, SW1P Dean Trench Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Dean Trench Street, SW1P

Deans Yard, SW1P Dean’s Yard comprises most of the precincts of the former monastery of Westminster, not occupied by the Abbey buildings. (Westminster)

Deans Yard, SW1P

Derby Gate, SW1A Derby Gate is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area (Westminster)

Derby Gate, SW1A

Downing Street, SW1A Downing Street has been the home of British Prime Minsters since the eighteenth century (Westminster)

Downing Street, SW1A

Eglise House, SW1 Eglise House is a block on Little Smith Street (Westminster)

Eglise House, SW1

Elizabeth Court, SW1P Elizabeth Court is a block on Elizabeth Court (Westminster)

Elizabeth Court, SW1P

Fielden House, SW1P Fielden House is a block on Little College Street (Westminster)

Fielden House, SW1P

Fludyer Street, SW1A Fludyer Street used to be a street which lay parallel to, and south of, Downing Street (Westminster)

Fludyer Street, SW1A

Gayfere Street, SW1P Gayfere Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Gayfere Street, SW1P

Great College Street, SW1P Great College Street borders the south side of Westminster School (Westminster)

Great College Street, SW1P

Great George Street, SW1P Great George Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Great George Street, SW1P

Great Peter Street, SW1P Great Peter Street bears the name of the patron saint of Westminster Abbey (Westminster)

Great Peter Street, SW1P

Great Smith Street, SW1P Great Smith Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Great Smith Street, SW1P

Greycoat Gardens, SW1P Greycoat Gardens is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Greycoat Gardens, SW1P

Greycoat Place, SW1P Greycoat Place is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Greycoat Place, SW1P

Greycoat Street, SW1P Greycoat Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Greycoat Street, SW1P

Horse Guards Road, SW1A Horse Guards Road runs along the eastern edge of St James’s Park (Westminster)

Horse Guards Road, SW1A

King Charles Street, SW1A King Charles Street is a street of government buildings, one block south of Downing Street (Westminster)

King Charles Street, SW1A

King Street, SW1A King Street was an ancient thoroughfare between the regions of the Court and the Abbey in Westminster (Westminster)

King Street, SW1A

Lesley Court, SW1P Lesley Court is a building on Strutton Ground (Westminster)

Lesley Court, SW1P

Lewisham Street, SW1H Lewisham Street is a Westminster alleyway (Westminster)

Lewisham Street, SW1H

Little College Street, SW1P Little College Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Little College Street, SW1P

Little Deans Yard, SW1P Little Deans Yard is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Little Deans Yard, SW1P

Little George Street, SW1P Little George Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Little George Street, SW1P

Lord North Street, SW1P Lord North Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Lord North Street, SW1P

Matthew Parker Street, SW1H The Most Reverend Matthew Parker was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 until 1575 (Westminster)

Matthew Parker Street, SW1H

Mill’s Buildings, SW1P Mill’s Buildings ran off Greycoat Place (Westminster)

Mill’s Buildings, SW1P

Millbank House, SW1P Millbank House is a block on Millbank (Westminster)

Millbank House, SW1P

Monck Street, SW1P Monck Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Monck Street, SW1P

Mulberry House, SW1P Mulberry House can be found on Dean Trench Street (Westminster)

Mulberry House, SW1P

Municipal Insurance House, SW1H Municipal Insurance House can be found on Old Queen Street (Westminster)

Municipal Insurance House, SW1H

New Palace Yard, SW1A New Palace Yard was built by William II (William Rufus) (Westminster)

New Palace Yard, SW1A

NIOC House, SW1H NIOC House is a block on Victoria Street (Westminster)

NIOC House, SW1H

Nobel House, SW1P Nobel House is sited on Smith Square (Westminster)

Nobel House, SW1P

North Court, SW1 North Court is a block on Great Peter Street (Westminster)

North Court, SW1

North Court, SW1P North Court is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

North Court, SW1P

Norton House, SW1P Norton House is a block on Arneway Street (Westminster)

Norton House, SW1P

Octavia House, SW1P Octavia House is a block on Medway Street (Westminster)

Octavia House, SW1P

Old Pye House, SW1P Old Pye House is a block on St Ann’s Street (Westminster)

Old Pye House, SW1P

Old Pye Street, SW1P Old Pye Street gets its name from Sir Robert Pye, member of parliament for Westminster in the time of Charles I. (Westminster)

Old Pye Street, SW1P

Old Queen Street, SW1H Old Queen Street is parallel to Birdcage Walk (Westminster)

Old Queen Street, SW1H

Ormond House, SW1P Ormond House is sited on Arneway Street (Westminster)

Ormond House, SW1P

Palmer Street, SW1H Palmer Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (St James’s Park)

Palmer Street, SW1H

Parker Street, SW1H Before being renamed to Matthew Parker Street, old Parker Street was a Westminster slum (Westminster)

Parker Street, SW1H

Parliament Square, SW1A Parliament Square is one of the most important squares in Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey (Westminster)

Parliament Square, SW1A

Parliament Street, SW1A Parliament Street is the name of the southernmost stretch of Whitehall as it meets Parliament Square (Westminster)

Parliament Street, SW1A

Pelham House, SW1P Pelham House is sited on Monck Street (Westminster)

Pelham House, SW1P

Portcullis House, SW1A Portcullis House is a building on Bridge Street (Westminster)

Portcullis House, SW1A

Post Office Way, SW1H Post Office Way is a road in the SW1P postcode area (Westminster)

Post Office Way, SW1H

Price’s Court, SW1P A street within the SW1P postcode (Westminster)

Price’s Court, SW1P

Prideux Building, SE1 Prideux Building is a block on Westminster Bridge Road (Lambeth)

Prideux Building, SE1

Queen Anne’s House, SW1H Queen Anne’s House is a block on Queen Anne’s Gate (St James’s Park)

Queen Anne’s House, SW1H

Queen Annes Gate Buildings, SW1H Queen Annes Gate Buildings is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (Westminster)

Queen Annes Gate Buildings, SW1H

Queen Anne’s Gate, SW1H Queen Anne’s Gate runs parallel to Birdcage Walk (Westminster)

Queen Anne’s Gate, SW1H

Richmond House Whitehall, SW1A Richmond House Whitehall is one of the streets of London in the SW1A postal area (Westminster)

Richmond House Whitehall, SW1A

Richmond House, SW1A Richmond House is a block on Whitehall (Westminster)

Richmond House, SW1A

Richmond Terrace Mews, SW1A Richmond Terrace Mews originally led to New Scotland Yard (Westminster)

Richmond Terrace Mews, SW1A

Richmond Terrace, SW1A Richmond Terrace is on the site of Richmond House, destroyed by a fire on 21 December 1791 (Westminster)

Richmond Terrace, SW1A

Ridley House, SW1P Ridley House is a block on Monck Street (Westminster)

Ridley House, SW1P

Smith Square, SW1P Smith Square was originally developed by Sir James Smith around 1726. (Westminster)

Smith Square, SW1P

St Anns Street, SW1P St Anns Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

St Anns Street, SW1P

St Ermin’s Hill, SW1H St Ermin’s Hill is a small side street off Broadway (St James’s Park)

St Ermin’s Hill, SW1H

St Matthew Street, SW1P St Matthew Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

St Matthew Street, SW1P

St. Margaret Street, SW1P St Margaret Street is the road immediately outside Westminster Hall (Westminster)

St. Margaret Street, SW1P

St. Matthew Street, SW1P St. Matthew Street is a road in the SW1P postcode area (Westminster)

St. Matthew Street, SW1P

Storey’s Gate, SW1H Abraham Storey, one of Wren’s master-masons, built Storey’s Gate that now commemorates his name. (Westminster)

Storey’s Gate, SW1H

Strutton Court, SW1P Strutton Court is a block on Strutton Ground (Westminster)

Strutton Court, SW1P

Strutton Ground, SW1P Strutton Ground is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Strutton Ground, SW1P

The Queen’s Walk, SE1 The Queen’s Walk is a road in the SE1 postcode area (South Bank)

The Queen’s Walk, SE1

The Sanctuary, SW1P The Sanctuary is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

The Sanctuary, SW1P

The Terrace, SW1P The Terrace is a road in the SW1P postcode area (Westminster)

The Terrace, SW1P

Tothill Street, SW1H Tothill Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (Westminster)

Tothill Street, SW1H

Transport House, SW1P Transport House can be found on Dean Bradley Street (Westminster)

Transport House, SW1P

Tufton Court, SW1 Tufton Court can be found on Tufton Street (Westminster)

Tufton Court, SW1

Tufton Street, SW1P Tufton Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Tufton Street, SW1P

Victoria Street, SW1P Victoria Street is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (Westminster)

Victoria Street, SW1P

Westminster Bridge, SE1 Westminster Bridge links Westminster on the west side with Lambeth on the east side (River Thames)

Westminster Bridge, SE1

Westminster Central Hall, SW1H Westminster Central Hall is one of the streets of London in the SW1H postal area (Westminster)

Westminster Central Hall, SW1H

Westminster House, SW1P Westminster House is sited on Millbank (Westminster)

Westminster House, SW1P

Westminster Mansions, SW1P Westminster Mansions is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Westminster Mansions, SW1P

Westminster Palace Gardens, SW1P Westminster Palace Gardens is one of the streets of London in the SW1P postal area (Westminster)

Westminster Palace Gardens, SW1P

Windsor House, SW1H Windsor House is a block on Victoria Street (Westminster)

Windsor House, SW1H

Wood Street , SW1P Little Peter Street became Wood Street in 1868 (Westminster)

Wood Street , SW1P

Click here to explore another London street
We now have 681 completed street histories and 46819 partial histories

Click here to see photos of the area