I have adored going through all the cathedrals/churches during our stay. I had no idea the magnitude of their construction until we first toured St. Paul’s, so I was incredibly excited to tour Westminster. As soon as we entered the Abbey, I grew so appreciative of the opportunity to stand in one of the most notable religious & historical landmarks in London. I am so happy that we were able to be shown around by Molly, the best tour guide in the world. The way she spoke about the British traditions, coronations, burials, memorials, etc. made me appreciate the experience so much. She spoke of Westminster and its history so delicately and with such respect, which I felt made the tour as awe-inspiring as the building itself.
I have already spoken briefly in earlier blogs about my fascination with the memorials/tombs we have been seeing all around London, but Westminster Abbey topped all that I had previously seen. The royal members that are buried there are encased in such gorgeous memorials and their grandiose structures were mind-boggling to me. What I found so cool, is that most of the royal burials included statues around them. I started to notice that most of the statues were crying, with what looked like a single tear rolling down their cheek. In some, the statues were covering their eyes with their hands or looked as though they were wiping tears from their face.
Along with royals, there were so many other famous or significant people buried or memorialized there as well. Scientist’s corner was the most gorgeous to me, the altar on display in front of the main area was so beautiful. There we saw Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Stephen Hawking. It was around this time in the tour that I started to really grasp the importance of Westminster Abbey and started to feel surreal walking around while listening to Molly.
The three notable memorials, among many others, that I saw were of Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare, and Jane Austen. Oscar Wilde, while he is not buried there, had a glass window memorial that I thought was the prettiest stained glass in the area of the Abbey that we were in. Oscar Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright, who became popular in London around 1890. He is most known to me for his works The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest, however he wrote 7 other plays and so much more poetry. Wilde passed from an early death due to meningitis at the age of 46 in November of 1900. Along with Wilde, William Shakespeare is also not buried in Westminster but had a more extravagant memorial. He was given a statue of himself, placed in the center of Poet’s Corner. I know I don’t have to say this, but he is known for writing over 30 plays, 150 sonnets, plus other pieces of literature. He is recognized as England’s National Poet, as well as regarded as the world’s greatest dramatists. His contributions to theatre have given him a legacy that has greatly outlived him and has influenced writers, actors, and theatre artists since his death in 1616. Lastly, Jane Austen was given a memorial plaque placed near the statue of Shakespeare. Her work includes famous novels that rely heavily on the dependance that women had on marriage in order to gain any kind of social and economic security. Austen wrote 9 novels, but is assumed to have also written 3,000 letters over the course of her life with only 161 of those surviving.
The next time I am in London I will be coming back to Westminster Abbey for another glance at all the famous memorials and a closer look at all the royalty buried within its walls. Westminster is truly remarkable and having Molly as a guide made the experience so rich.
Theatre in London U of A 