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16
K E L L Y 'S O C ID E TO LO N D O N â W E ST M IN ST E R AN D B F L Q R A V IA D IS T R IC T .
WESTMINSTER AND BELGRAVIA DISTRICT.
T
H E S i;
d istricts em brace not o n ly m ost o f the
m ore
im portant
pu b lic
b u ild in g s in L o n d o n , but a lso the tw o R o y a l I âalaces, and, w ith
e x c ep tio n o f M a y fa ir, th ey form the m ost fash ion ab le part o f the M etropolis.
W ESTM INSTER ABBEY. â
the
T h is m agn ificen t p ile is b u ilt in the form of
a L a tin cross, the extrem e len gth o f the n ave and ch apels east to w est b ein g £30
ft. and th at o f the transept 2 14 ft.
E d w a rd the C o nfessor b u ilt a church on the
sam e site b etw een 1050 and 1065, bu t this w as e n tire ly reb u ilt in the latter h alf
o f the 13th century b y H e n ry I I I . and h is son, E d w a rd I ., in the pure G o th ic
sty le .
T h e la tter p r a c tic a lly com pleted th is b eau tifu l e ccle sia stical b u ild in g as
w e now see it, though a d d itio n s w ere m ade to it in the tw o su cceedin g centuries.
1 H e n ry V I I . e arly in the l6 th century b u ilt the ch ap el at the east end w h ich
bears h is nam e and is one o f the finest exam p les k n o w n o f the T ran sitio n style.
T h e church at the tim e o f the Com m onw ealth suffered m uch from n eglect and
S ir C h risto p h er W re n w as charged w ith its restoration.
H e indeed plan n ed the
tw o W estern tow ers w h ich u n h appily h arm on ise so b ad ly w ith the old er portions
o f th e b u ild in g .
T h e A b b e y u n qu estion ab ly possesses a q u ite unique h istorical
in terest for every E n glish m an , for it is the bu rial p la ce o f m ost of the great m en
w h o h ave rendered E n g la n d illu striou s, w h eth er as statesm en, poets, dram atists,,
or h isto ria m .
I f not bu ried in the A b b e y , as in th e case o f Shakespeare, s till
som e m em orial is to be found there o f one and a ll.
O f our great statesm en, L o rd
C h atham and C a n n in g , L o rd P alm erston and S ir R ob ert P eel were a ll buried in
the A b b e y , and in 1898 th e-rem ain s o f the R t. H on . W . E . G lad ston e w ere also
la id there.
T h e n ave, a isle s, and transept are open to the pu b lic d a ily excep t
d urin g, d iv in e service and on Sun days, but a ch arge o f six p en ce is m ade excep t
on M ondays and T u esd ay s fo r adm ission to the chapels.