Westminster Abbey (12 July)

Today was a big deal for me because I had two class presentations—both mine just happened to fall on the same day. So, I gave a 10-minute presentation on a book I read for my history class and a 10-minute presentation on the Mancunian variety of English. All went well and I’m happy to have them done!

After class we went to the Globe Theater to see “Much Ado About Nothing” only to discover that something went awry and we didn’t have tickets. I was really disappointed. We went to Westminster Abbey instead—a worthy alternative!

The Abbey is beautiful. It is so historical—all the crownings of English royalty have happened there since 1066! And the royal wedding was there not too long ago. While there, I got to see so much, including the graves of many famous English monarchs, like Queen Elizabeth and Henry VII. My main quest was to find William Wilberforce’s grave and I did with the help of a kind man. I also got to see the graves of Oliver Cromwell, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Tennyson, Samuel Johnson, Dickens, Handel, Newton, Darwin, and many more. It was really neat to see them all together. There were so many nooks and crannies in the Abbey . . . it was impossible to see everything, even though I was there for a few hours.

There was a monument for William Caxton, the man who set up the first printing press in England. He brought it over from Germany or the Netherlands around 1475. I was excited to be close to this event because I’m a nerd and I once took a class called History of the Book. But whether or not you know it, you should all be grateful for this printing press because it was very important in the development of your language.

I stayed for the 5:00 Evensong. Because I was one of the first people in line, I got to sit very near the choir. Actually, I was directly behind them (if you can imagine how the choir is set up in a cathedral, there are two rows of singers, each on two sides of the nave aisle—the choir is in two halves and they face each other). There was a row of old, beautifully carved wooden chairs behind the choir seats and that’s where I sat! I could see the singers’ music and watch their conductor.

Evensong was beautiful. I especially liked the bible readings this time. The Old Testament reading (Psalm 33) totally went along with my train of thought as I was walking through the Abbey. I was fascinated by the fact that I was surrounded by the graves of famous people—yet they were all reduced to bones and dust. Some had ridiculous amounts of ornate carvings and statues around them, but what’s the point? Now we remember a few documented stories of their lives, but we don’t know who they really were. And all the pomp and privilege that comes with being buried in Westminster Abbey doesn’t matter that much. After all, “There is no king saved by the multitude of an host: a mighty man is not delivered by much strength” (Psalm 33:16). Our status in life doesn’t matter—only our status before God. “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine” (Psalm 33:18-19). I found these verses a very fitting conclusion for my time in Westminster Abbey. 

Outside Westminster Abbey--it was huge

With Bro. and Sis. Gardner. Big Ben (the bell) is in that tower.