WESTMINSTER ABBEY

WIENER, Jacques: England , 1856, Bronze, 59 mm
Obv: View of exterior    WESTMINSTER ABBEY
Rev: View of interior of the chapel of Henry VII.
On left:  THE PRESENT CHURCH CONSTRUCTED 1220-1285. RESTORED END OF THE XVII CENTURY
On right:  WESTMINSTER HALL BUILT 1397. THE CHAPEL OF HENRI VII COMMENCED 1503. RESTORED 1809.
Exergue: ST PETER'S CHURCH FOUNDED ABOUT 612. REBUILT AND ERECTED AN ABBEY 958 AND 1049-1066.
Signed: J. WIENER F. BRUSSELS / ELKINGTON ET C.  LONDON
Ref: Van Hoydonck 142;  Reinecke 35; Bouhy 15; Ross M189; Weiss BW254

Westminster Abbey is a Gothic church in London. It is cruciform in plan. It was originally the abbey church of a Benedictine monastery which was closed in 1539. In 1050, Edward the Confessor began to build a Norman church on the site, and in 1245, Henry III began work on the present structure. The Lady Chapel, dedicated to Henry VII, is a fine example of the perpendicular style. The two western towers were built between 1722 and 1745 by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, and the 19th century restoration was managed by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Since William the Conqueror, most English monarchs have been crowned in the abbey. It is also the burial place of 18 monarchs. A Poets' Corner lies in the south transept.

As depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry

The Coronation Chair

The Poets' Corner

Medieval paintings

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