What is behind the altar in Westminster Abbey?

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs, and a burial site for 18 English, Scottish, and British monarchs.



Directly behind the High Altar of Westminster Abbey lies the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor, the most sacred part of the Abbey. This area is separated from the nave by a 15th-century stone screen called a reredos, which features intricate carvings of the life of the Saint. The shrine itself contains the coffin of the King who founded the Abbey and died in 1066. Surrounding this central shrine are the royal tombs of several medieval monarchs, including Henry III, Eleanor of Castile, and Edward I. Further east, past the shrine, you will find the magnificent Lady Chapel (built by Henry VII), which is a masterpiece of Perpendicular Gothic architecture with its famous fan-vaulted ceiling. In 2026, visitors can view these areas as part of the standard tour, though the space immediately surrounding the Confessor's shrine remains a quiet place for prayer and reflection, reflecting its status as a site of pilgrimage for nearly a millennium.

People Also Ask

In the floor just inside the great west door, in the centre of the nave, is the tomb of The Unknown Warrior, an unidentified British soldier killed on a European battlefield during the First World War. He was buried in the abbey on 11 November 1920.

MORE DETAILS

Buried within Westminster Abbey is the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, this grave contains the body of an unknown British soldier from the First World War.

MORE DETAILS

Above the main floor space of Westminster Abbey is a newly revamped attic, which had been used as storage room for centuries. The attic space, renamed the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, was once described by poet John Betjeman as having "the best view in Europe."

MORE DETAILS

Westminster Abbey is the final resting place of 30 kings and queens starting with King Edward the Confessor whose magnificent shrine stands just behind the High Altar. Henry III, who built the church you see today, is buried near him.

MORE DETAILS

The great pavement in front of the High Altar of Westminster Abbey is a unique and remarkable object. The complexity and subtlety of the design and workmanship can be seen nowhere else on this scale.

MORE DETAILS

Hawking's remains were buried on Friday beneath a sunlit arch, between those of Darwin and Newton, at a memorial service at Westminster Abbey.

MORE DETAILS

Lisa Levinson, head of communications at the Natural Diamond Council, has told Metro: 'Her Majesty is an incredibly humble woman at heart who is unlikely to be dressed in anything but her simple Welsh gold wedding band to rest and a pair of pearl earrings. '

MORE DETAILS

Where does the matter go in such a situation? In the actual chapel above ground, we have the sarcophagi of King George V and Queen Mary, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, the in-ground burial of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

MORE DETAILS

His Majesty The King's coronation. The striking colours of the yellow and blue carpet can be seen on the specially built Coronation Theatre, from in between the quire stalls to the front of the Cosmati Pavement. These colours were chosen to highlight and contrast with the robes of The King and Queen.

MORE DETAILS

Amid all the old-fashioned robes and Stone of Destiny and other largely impractical touches, the reason for the sand on the streets is actually very pragmatic and logical. The sand is there to help the movement of the horses and carriages.

MORE DETAILS