Everything You Need to Know on a Westminster Abbey Tour

The Great West Door

The Great West Door of Westminster Abbey is often a focal point of Westminster Abbey tours due to its beautiful carvings. The words "Sancta Maria" are written on either side of it in Latin, which means "Holy Mary". Above the door, you can see the 10 statues of Modern Martyrs who sacrificed their lives for what they believed in. 

The West Towers are located on either side of the door. The belfry in the Northwest tower is where all the bells of Westminster Abbey are located. Right across the door on the opposite side, you can see the Crimea Memorial. As you enter through the Great West Door, you reach the nave of the abbey.

The Nave

This is the first part of Westminster Abbey that you will see as you enter it. After the death of Henry III, the old nave of the abbey remained attached to the new building for centuries until it was completed in 1517. On your right is the Coronation Chair that every monarch sat on during their crowning since 1308. A few steps ahead is the Grave of the Unknown Warrior which commemorates the contribution of many warriors in the First World War. As you walk further ahead, you can see the memorial for Sir Isaac Newton, which records some of his revolutionary discoveries and theories. You can also see some graves and floor stone memorials on the floor. 

The Crossing

Next up, you will enter the crossing of the abbey. Right ahead is the High Altar where all the British Coronations take place. There are chairs on the right side and on the left side is where the Royal Weddings take place, which goes on towards the North Transept. 

As you look up above the High Altar, you can see the Triforium where the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries are situated. Right beneath the High Altar is the Cosmati Pavement that is said to predict the end of the world. 

The North Transept

The North Transept leads you to the North Door of Westminster Abbey. Here, the remains of Prime Minister William Pitt were buried in 1778, and ever since, the North Transept has also been known as the Statesmen’s Aisle. 

If you were to exit the abbey from the North Door, you would see St. Margaret’s Church right ahead of you. Dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch, this smaller church was constructed right next to the abbey for people to attend mass. This way, the abbey monks would remain undisturbed during their prayers within the abbey. 

Chapel of Saint Edward

To the left of the Crossing and before the Statesmen’s Aisle, you can find an aisle to your right that leads you to the Chapel of Saint Edward. As you climb up the stairs within, you can see the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor. King Henry III built the Chapel of St Edward and the Shrine within to pay his respects to the saintly Edward the Confessor. You can see the tombs of many other monarchs that came after Edward, including King Henry III himself. The monks may not reside here today, but the Shrine is still a site of pilgrimage for anyone who wants to offer their prayers. 

Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I

As you exit down the stairs from the Shrine of St Edward and take a right, you can head straight towards the hind sections of Westminster Abbey. Right at the entrance to the Lady Chapel, you can see a sign on the left that leads you to the tombs of Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I. Both Queens are buried here together in a single tomb. 

After the dissolution of the monasteries, Queen Mary I turned Westminster Abbey into an Anglican Church. However, Queen Elizabeth changed this once again in 1560 and the abbey was given the name of a Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster. 

Their joint tomb only has the effigy of Queen Elizabeth I. 

Chapter House

As you head back towards the Nave, right next to Poets’ Corner, there is an alley to your left that leads you to the Cloisters. The Cloisters are connected to the Chapter House and the Pyx Chamber as well. 

The Chapter House is located in the East Cloister and this is where the monks of the abbey ‘hold chapter’. The abbey monks come here to pray, to read and to discuss businesses for the day. The Chapter House was a part of Henry III’s rebuilding of the abbey and was most likely completed in 1255.

Pyx Chamber

The Pyx Chamber can be found right next to the Chapter House. This is the oldest surviving room of the abbey where you can find elements of architecture used in King Edward the Confessor’s building of the abbey that existed before Henry III rebuilt it. This room was probably used as a sacristy during Henry III’s reconstruction. The floor still has a few tiles that date back to the 11th century. The Pyx Chamber gets its name from “Trial of Pyx”, a trial of melting down measured silver coins to check if they were pure. The stone table that was used to melt these silver coins still exists in the chamber.