What is the glass floor in Westminster Abbey?

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.



While many modern landmarks use structural glass floors for views, the "glass floor" in Westminster Abbey usually refers to the Cosmati Pavement, an intricate 13th-century mosaic floor that contains pieces of opaque colored glass. Commissioned by Henry III and laid down in 1268, this high altar floor is a masterpiece of geometric design featuring marble, stone, metal, and glass (specifically red, turquoise, cobalt blue, and bluish-white pieces). It is the site where every British monarch is crowned. In 2026, the Abbey continues to preserve this delicate work, and while it is not a "see-through" floor like those in the Eiffel Tower, special access is occasionally granted for visitors to walk on it with their shoes removed to experience its historic textures.

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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.

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Westminster Abbey has announced that following the coronation of King Charles III, the church's famous Cosmati pavement – an intricate mosaic which lies in the sanctuary in front of the high altar – will be opened up to the public.

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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.

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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.

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The Unknown Warrior Six bodies were exhumed from various battlefields. They were placed in unmarked coffins before one was selected for burial in Westminster Abbey. Although there are many graves on the floors of the church, this is the only one you're not allowed to walk on.

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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."

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There are over 3000 people buried at Westminster Abbey, which includes 30 kings and queens of England and hundreds of influential figures from various disciplines.

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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.

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Although it is named Westminster Abbey, the church isn't officially an abbey. It falls into the category of 'Royal Peculiar' because instead of belonging to the Church of England, it belongs to the Sovereign. Its official name is the Collegiate Church of St. Peter.

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Westminster Abbey contains the only surviving medieval Cosmatesque mosaics outside Italy. They comprise: the 'Great Pavement' in the sanctuary; the pavement around the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the saint's tomb and shrine; Henry III's tomb; the tomb of a royal child, and some other pieces.

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