Westminster Abbey
Below is the Westminster Abbey photography portfolio. You can read more about the Abbey below, or head straight to the thumbnails to view the images.
Westminster Abbey is formally the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, and it has been the coronation church of England since William the Conqueror was crowned there on Christmas Day 1066. Every monarch since has been crowned in it, with two exceptions, and more than a dozen of them are buried there. It has also been the setting for royal weddings, state funerals and the burial or memorial of most of the country’s poets, in the corner of the south transept known as Poets’ Corner.
The building that stands today was begun by Henry III in 1245, on the site of an earlier abbey founded by Edward the Confessor, and it is the finest Gothic church in the country. Henry VII’s Lady Chapel at the east end, finished in 1516, carries the most elaborate fan vaulting in England. The two western towers, the part of the Abbey that shows in a skyline, are much later. They were designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and completed in 1745, three hundred years after the rest, so they look more restrained than the church behind them.
Together with the Palace of Westminster and St Margaret’s Church next door, the Abbey has been a World Heritage Site since 1987.
Seen across London the Abbey is easy to miss. Its towers are 69 metres tall, modest against the office buildings around Victoria, and they sit in the shadow of the Palace of Westminster and Elizabeth Tower. Look for the pair of square towers just south of the clock. Picking them out is a small pleasure of a gigapixel image.
Please click any of the images below to explore the views in high resolution.
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Roseate London
The view in this image encompasses so much of the London skyline and many of its iconic buildings. To the left, you have the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. The London Eye with Buckingham Palace nestled behind it within St James’ Park. Move along the Thames to cross the city into the centre of…
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Sundown Over Waterloo
London panorama taking in the view across London. Some south London landmarks can be seen including Battersea Power Station, Waterloo Station and the BFI Imax, and the front of the Imperial War Museum between the trees. View at fullscreen and zoom in to see the detail and you will pick out many more London sights…
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London In Detail
In this panorama you can view The Shard under construction, with Canary Wharf seemingly just behind it. The level of resolution allows you to zoom in and see an incredible level of detail. Please click the ‘Fullscreen’ button for the best viewing experience and you can further explore the image to find many more of…
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Waterloo Bridge London
London panorama captured from Waterloo Bridge over the River Thames looking west along the South Bank towards Festival Pier, Hungerford Bridge, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben.
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Sunlit London Panorama
Panorama looking across Westminster towards the City of London, with the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the BT Tower (Telecom Tower), the London Eye, Lambeth Palace, Shellmex House and over in the City, visible are Tower 42, the Gherkin and St Paul’s Cathedral. Zoom in to view the details and spot Nelson’s Column, the Oxo…
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Golden Mile
London Skyline Panorama This London skyline panorama is titled ‘Golden Mile’. Capturing it took a couple of evenings of standing around on top of a building. It had been a warm day in London and the heat of the city could still be felt as the sun set – it was great not to be…