Can you visit Westminster Abbey on a Sunday?

Not for sightseeing, but everyone is welcome at Sunday services free of charge.

Who is buried in Poets' Corner?

Writers including Geoffrey Chaucer, the first poet buried there in 1400, and Charles Dickens.

Is it free to attend Evensong at Westminster Abbey?

Yes, all services, including Evensong, are free to attend.

Yes, the Cellarium café is on site.

Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is London's royal church, where coronations have taken place since 1066. Mostly rebuilt in Gothic style from 1245, it holds royal tombs, Poets' Corner and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and still a working church with daily services.

Photos

1 / 18

Rene W.

Nearly a thousand years of history

Edward the Confessor enlarged the earlier Benedictine abbey, completed in 1066, and was later made a saint. Henry III began rebuilding in 1245 in the French-influenced Gothic style you see today. The Henry VII Lady Chapel, built from 1503 to 1512, has one of the finest fan-vaulted ceilings in England. The Coronation Chair once held the Stone of Scone, which was returned to Scotland in 1996.

What to see

Poets' Corner in the south transept holds the graves and memorials of writers from Geoffrey Chaucer, buried in 1400, to Charles Dickens. The Coronation Chair, made around 1300 for Edward I, is on display, and the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior lies in the nave. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries are included in the visit too.

Visiting tips

Book sightseeing tickets online and allow for security checks. The Abbey is closed to sightseers on Sundays, but anyone can attend services free, including Evensong. Audio guides and guided tours are available, and the Cellarium café is on site. The Palace of Westminster and Big Ben are across the road. Allow a couple of hours to see it properly. The Abbey receives no funding from the Church, the Government or the Crown, so ticket income and donations help maintain it.