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The shrine of Edward the Confessor (1003–66), last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, lies at the heart of the Abbey. He built London’s first royal palace at Westminster, and founded the present Abbey.

At 32 m (102 ft), this is the tallest Gothic nave in England. Built by the great 14th-century architect Henry Yevele, it is supported externally by flying buttresses.

This corner of the transept contains memorials to many literary giants, including Shakespeare and Dickens.

The fan vaulting above the nave of this eastern addition to the church is spectacular late Perpendicular . Built for Henry VII (1457–1509), it includes two side aisles and five smaller chapels and is the home of the Order of the Bath (see Chapel of St John the Evangelist).

This simple chair was made in 1301 for Edward I. It is placed in front of the high altar screen on the 13th-century mosaic pavement when used for coronations.

England’s great Protestant queen (1553–1603) is buried on one side of the Lady Chapel, while the tomb of her Catholic rival, Mary Queen of Scots (beheaded in 1587), is on the other side. Mary’s remains were brought to the abbey by James I in 1612.

The all-boy Westminster Abbey Choir School, the only school in England devoted entirely to choristers, produces the choir which sings here every day. The present organ was installed in 1937 and first used at the coronation of George VI.

The body of an unknown soldier from the battlefields of World War I was buried here in 1920. He represents Britain’s war dead.

This octagonal building with a 13th-century tiled floor is where the Abbey’s monks gathered. The House of Commons met here between 1257 and 1542. It is now run by the Abbey and can also be reached via Dean’s Yard.

The cloisters were located heart of the former Benedictine monastery and would have been the monastery’s busiest area. On the east side are the only remaining parts of the Norman church, the Pyx Chamber, where coinage was tested in medieval times, and the Undercroft, which contains a museum.