Remarks
The setting for the great royal ceremonies for centuries, Westminster Abbey is the symbol of British tradition. It was built by Edward the Confessor in the Romanesque style and was given its Gothic appearance after its reconstruction under Henry III in 1220. The master designer of the Virgin's Chapel Henri of Reims, was inspired by the style of the cathedrals at Amiens and Reims, especially in the layout of the abbatial, the ambulatory and the radiating chapels. The works were interrupted and it wasn't until the 14C that Henry Yvele finished the nave. Henry VII had an even larger chapel built in the perpendicular style which lasted until the 16C replacing the Chapel of the Virgin. In the 18C Hawksmoor following the indications of Wren finished the towers and the facades in an extension of the Gothic style.
In spite of its impressive dimensions (its narrow nave at 31 m is one of the highest in England) the interior does not give this impression since the perspective of the space is truncated by the cloister of the chancel and you will discover with astonishment its various parts. The Henry VII Chapel decorated with the standards of the Knights of the Order of the Bath under a superb vault; the chapel of Edward the Confessor which contains royal tombs and the coronation throne in oak; the octagonal capitulary room with harmonious vaults. The transept and the lower sides abound in sculpted monuments particularly the south transept that contains the famous Poets' corner where a great number of writers are brought together (even though very few of them are buried there).