Discover the Top 5 Amazing Fun Facts About Westminster Abbey You Never Knew!
1. Genius Neighbors Afterlife Party
Who says geniuses can't be good neighbors in the afterlife? Westminster Abbey is practically a block party for some of history's brightest minds: Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Michael Faraday, and James Clark Maxwell all reside in the illustrious locale. Well, maybe not literally – while Newton and Darwin are buried there, Faraday's ashes are at Highgate Cemetery, and Maxwell rests in Kirkcudbright, Scotland. But hey, they've each got a monument in the Abbey to keep their spirits mingling. Albert Einstein would definitely RSVP, seeing as he kept a painting of Faraday in his study.
Source => dailymail.co.uk
2. Buried Treasure at the Abbey
Ahoy, mateys! If you be searchin' for Admiral Robert Blake's treasure, ye won't find it in the depths of the Caribbean, but rather, in the vaults of Westminster Abbey: Blake, a legendary naval commander during the English Civil War and defeater of notorious fleets, was initially buried in this regal sanctum, only to be exhumed and reburied in the nearby churchyard after Charles II gave him the ol' heave-ho in 1661.
Source => westminster-abbey.org
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3. Henry VII's Fan-tastic Ceiling
Once upon a time, a king threw a massive architectural bash, with a ceiling that smashed through most people's "fan-tasy" list: It's none other than the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey, constructed in the early 1500s by Henry VII. This fan-vaulted marvel houses the remains of two queens, Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots, and was touted as "the wonder of the world" in its heyday.
Source => blog.billiongraves.com
4. Royal Marble Sleepover
Did you hear about the royal sleepover at Westminster Abbey? Mary, Queen of Scots, brought the finest marble PJs for the eternal slumber party: Nestled within the south aisle of the Lady Chapel, her 1612 tomb features a white marble effigy beneath an exquisite canopy, commissioned by King James I and surrounded by Thomas Bickford's intricate railings. Her slumber buddy? None other than Margaret, Countess of Lennox, with her son Lord Darnley striking a kneely pose next door.
Source => westminster-abbey.org
5. Holy Coronation Bling
Before the fashionistas decided to adorn their crowns with Insta-worthy gems, the medieval English folks were lining up at the Westminster Abbey for a holier-than-thou coronation bling: The regalia used in all English coronations from the 13th to the 17th century were not just fabulous accessories, but considered sacred relics after Saint Edward the Confessor's canonisation and were kept at the Abbey until Oliver Cromwell gave 'em the boot in 1649 during the English Civil War.
Source => vocaleyes.co.uk