Presentazione inglese

WESTMINSTER ABBEY and WESTMINSTER PALACE

Westminster Abbey...

It all started with a vote

Description of Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey Facts

Music of Westinster abbey

Key Facts!

Westminster Palace

FIRE!

The Architecture

The towers and the Lords Chamber

Made by:Kira Borysenkova,Mia Dhoqina, Elizabeth Ona,Giulia Toiani 2F

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The new Palace of Westminster was custom-built by the Victorian architect Charles Barry for Parliamentary use.Barry was also careful to weld the old to the new, so that the surviving medieval buildings - Westminster Hall, the Cloisters and Chapter House of St Stephen's, and the Undercroft Chapel - formed an integral part of the whole. His Gothic scheme for the new Palace also extended to its interior furnishings, such as wallpapers, carvings, stained glass and even the royal thrones and canopies. It also had a significant influence on the subsequent design of various public buildings such as town halls, law courts and schools throughout the country, and internationally.

A melding between old and new

Westminster Abbey is one of the most iconic and historically significant religious sites in the United Kingdom.Located in central London near the Houses of Parliament,it has been a palce of worship,coronation,and burial for British royalty and notable figures for over a thousand years.

Key facts about Westminster abbey

The UK public elects 650 Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent their interests and concerns in the House of Commons. MPs consider and propose new laws, and can scrutinise government policies by asking ministers questions about current issues either in the Commons Chamber or in Committees

the House of Commons

Choir Since 14th century,the primary role of the Westminster Abbey has been to sing for daily service;the choir also plays a central role in many state occasions, including royal weddings and funerals, coronations and memorial services. Organ A lot of organs at Westminster Abbey were destroyed and restored, but the organ that we can see nowadays was built by Harrison & Harrison in 1937, it was played for the first time at the coronation of George VI and Elizabeth. The full instrument has five manuals and 109 speaking stops. The abbey has three other organs: the two-manual Queen’s organ in the Lady Chapel, a smaller continuo organ, and a practice organ. Bells There have been bells at the abbey since at least the time of Henry III, and the current bells were installed in the north-west tower. Two bells are unused. The Westminster Abbey Company of Ringers ring peals on special occasions, such as the wedding of Prince William.

Choir,Organ,Bells

The House of Lords is the second chamber of UK Parliament. It plays a crucial role in examining bills, questioning government action and investigating public policy.

the House of Lords

The Victoria Tower

The Victoria Tower is the tallest tower in the Palace of Westminster. Named after Queen Victoria, it was for many years the tallest and largest stone square tower in the world. The tower was originally designed as a royal entrance and a repository for the records of Parliament, and is now home to the Parliamentary Archives. On top of the tower is an iron flagstaff.The gateways of the tower were built wide enough to allow the Queen's Coach to drive through for State Openings of Parliament.By tradition, this route is the only one the Sovereign is allowed to take when he or she comes to the House of Lords.

The Octagonal central Tower

Apart from the Victoria Tower, the Palace contains another striking tower. Over the middle of the Palace, immediately above the Central Lobby, stands the octagonal Central Tower. The tower was originally designed to serve as a ventilating chimney for stale air and smoke from fireplaces. Due to its position in the centre of the building, the tower was the first to be completed, and its construction required considerable engineering skill

The Lords Chamber

The Lords Chamber is the most lavishly-decorated room in the Palace of Westminster.It has the grandest interior because it is where the three elements of Parliament (the Sovereign, the Lords and the Commons) come together. The furnishings in the Chamber are predominantly decorated in red, while green is the colour of the Commons' end.The Chamber's ceiling is divided into eighteen panelled compartments, each showing ancient emblems such as the white hart of Richard II.

In 1834, the Exchequer was faced with the problem of disposing two cart-loads of wooden tally sticks. These were remnants of an obsolete accounting system that had not been used since 1826. When asked to burn them, the Clerk of Works thought that the two underfloor stoves in the basement of the House of Lords would be a safe and proper place to do so.On October 16th during the afternoon, a party of visitors to the House of Lords, conducted by the deputy housekeeper Mrs Wright, became puzzled by the heat of the floor, and by the smoke seeping through it. But the workmen insisted on finishing their job. The furnaces were put out by 5pm, and Mrs Wright, no longer worried, locked up the premises At 6pm, Mrs Wright heard the terrified wife of a doorkeeper screaming that the House of Lords was on fire. In no time, the flames had spread to the rest of the Palace.Both Houses of Parliament were destroyed along with most of the other buildings on the site. Westminster Hall was saved largely due to heroic fire fighting efforts, and a change in the direction of the wind during the night. The only other parts of the Palace to survive were the Jewel Tower, the Undercroft Chapel, the Cloisters and Chapter House of St Stephen's and Westminster Hall.

Destruction by fire,1834

Key Facts about Westminster Abbey

• The Abbey was originally founded in 960 AD as a Benedictine monastery.

• The current Gothic structure was begun by King Henry Ill in 1245.

• Since 1066, Westminster Abbey has been the traditional site for the coronation of English and later British monarchs.

There are more than 3,000 people buried in Westminster Abbey, so most visitors can't help but walk over a lot of graves. But some tombs are more notable than others. For centuries, the Abbey was the final resting place of England's kings and queens; 30 of them, to be exact. The royal tombs are some of the most well-known spots in the church. On the way into the Chapter House, visitors pass through a seemingly unremarkable, short wooden door, and perhaps it’s Britain’s oldest door. The door with human skin? According to the official Westminster Abbey website, "After the planks were fitted together probably both faces were covered with cow hide, added to provide a smooth surface for decoration. Then the ornamental iron hinges and decorative straps were fixed. Only one of the original straps survives today with hide trapped underneath it In the 19th century the fragments of cow hide were first noted and a legend grew up that this skin was human. It was supposed that someone had been caught committing sacrilege or robbery in the church and had been flayed and his skin nailed to this door as a deterrent to others.

It's loaded with bodies