Visiting Westminster Abbey

Before we flew to London, I told my son that we were going to Westminster Abbey. He put on a good face when I mentioned this to him. I’ve dragged my kids to places of worship all over the world. One of my favorite things to do in old cities is to tour a church, mosque, synagogue, temple, etc. Often time while touring those places, I spend a lot of time and my kids usually get bored after a while. It’s something they all indulge me in.

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My son got a little more excited about visiting Westminster Abbey after I told him that Bloody Mary is buried there as well as many Kings, Queens, and the who’s who in English history. We made it to Westminster towards the end of our UK trip, which was good planning because so many of the names we heard on tours are buried in Westminster Abbey.

We arrived at Westminster Abbey and we had to walk around to the offices to pick up my media pass. When you are a travel blogger and pick up passes, you never know what kind of greeting you’re going to get. Sometimes, you encounter someone that hates having to deal with influencers. And I don’t blame them because many of us are annoying. So every time I walk into an office, my anxiety kicks up a bit. We buzzed the office and were let in. Right away, one of the kindest people I’ve ever encountered greeted us. We talked briefly and were given instructions and tips. Since we had a media pass, we entered Westminster through a door not accessible to the public. I must admit, I kind of bragged a bit to my son about being able to skip the line.

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It’s easy to be immediately blown away upon entering Westminster Abbey. I was there one other time, but walking in with my son was like seeing everything for the first time. As I’ve said before in other posts, I love seeing the final resting places of people who have impacted history. You can schedule a tour of Westminster, but we used the headset provided and walked at our own pace. The headset was perfect or what we wanted out of Westminster. When we wanted extra information about someone, I did a Google search to learn more.

One highlight for us was seeing the Coronation Chair. Visiting right before Charles’ coronation was exciting to see the chair and the surrounding buzz. The coronation chair has been used for over 700 years. Edward I was the first to use it and all those taking the crown have used it since (excluding Edward V and Edward VIII). The Coronation Chair is probably the most famous piece of furniture in the world and a history lovers’ dream site. The chair is by the exit, so don’t hurry on out of the church during your visit.

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What started out as my son simply going along with me because I love visiting historical places, ended up being for him as well. There were moments I wanted to move him along. While I was looking around in Poet’s Corner, I turned around and I didn’t see my son. I checked out the area and then noticed him sitting in a chair as though he were waiting for a church service to start. He was looking around and I waited to join him, but gave him space. After a moment, I sat next to him and asked him what he was doing. “Just looking around,” he answered. He wasn’t looking at graves; he was gazing upon the beauty of the church. Statues and ornate decorations cover every inch of the church. I sat next to him and did the same. We were quiet in our observance. After a while, he stood up and said, “Ready?” I nodded and rose. We walked through the rest of the church and took our last photos and listened to a few more stories on our headsets.

We spent about 2 hours walking around Westminster Abbey. It was another great moment on our UK trip. Westminster is a must visit site for those visiting London. I would even suggest that it should be number one on the list of things to see in London.

For prices and entry times, click here.

 

Disclaimer: I partnered with Westminster Abbey for this story. The photos and story are my own.

Thank you to Made.Travel for the assistance in putting my trip together.

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