Our trip to Westminster Abbey was very educational and historic as well as beautiful and elegant. We saw many famous British people that were buried there or had a memorial including Jane Austin, William Shakespeare, Stephen Hawkings and Charles Dickens. It was surreal to see so many famous legends memorialized in one place. We were given a listening guide as we toured this grand cathedral with different sections paired with the specific rooms and exhibits such as statues and plaques. It was very interesting to listen and understand the history behind the major parts of Westminster Abbey.
Seeing a William Shakespeare monument was especially fun for me as I have just read and studied multiple of his famous works and just seen a play in his globe theatre! He was born in April 1564 and died in April 1616 both in Stratford-upon-Avon. William Shakespeare was known for his play writing, poems, and acting. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and was referred to as “the Bard”. His famous plays include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, King Lear, and many more.
I was pleasantly surprised to get the opportunity to see the Stephen Hawkings monument as well. He was born in January 1942 in Oxford and died in March of 2018 in Cambridge. Stephan Hawking was an English theoretical astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author who was a director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. He is especially known for becoming a world-renowned pioneer of the black-hole theory.
The guided tour that was supplied to us specifically mentioned Jane Austin who I deeply respect as an author. She was born in December 1775 in Steventon and died July 1817 in Winchester. Jane Austin was an English writer, famously known for her novels Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, and many more! It was very special to be able to experience these monuments in this luxurious cathedral.
Theatre in London U of A 