A timeline
A short history of Westminster Abbey
Nearly a thousand years old, the Abbey has been a royal church, a coronation stage, a scientific pantheon and a national memorial. Here are the moments that shaped it.
A millennium of history
From Edward the Confessor’s Norman abbey to the coronation of King Charles III, Westminster Abbey has been at the centre of British life for nearly a thousand years. These are the moments that shaped it.
1065Edward the Confessor's abbey
King Edward the Confessor consecrates his new Benedictine abbey church on the marshy island of Thorney. He dies eight days later and is buried inside.
1066The first coronation
William the Conqueror is crowned in the Abbey on Christmas Day — beginning an unbroken tradition that continues to this day.
1245Henry III rebuilds
Henry III demolishes most of the Confessor's church and begins the soaring Gothic Abbey we see today.
1308The Coronation Chair
Edward I commissions the Coronation Chair to enclose the Stone of Scone. Every English and British monarch since has been crowned upon it.
1503The Lady Chapel begins
Henry VII lays the foundation stone of the Lady Chapel — its fan-vaulted ceiling is one of the wonders of English architecture.
1603Elizabeth I laid to rest
Queen Elizabeth I is buried in the north aisle of the Lady Chapel. Her sister Mary I shares the tomb.
1727Isaac Newton buried
Sir Isaac Newton is buried in the nave — the first of many scientists honoured with a place inside the Abbey.
1953Coronation of Elizabeth II
The first coronation to be televised, watched by an estimated 27 million viewers in Britain alone.
2011The wedding of William & Catherine
Prince William marries Catherine Middleton in the Abbey — the first royal Wedding here since 1986.
2022The Queen's funeral
The State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II is held in the Abbey, watched by around 4 billion people worldwide.
2023Coronation of King Charles III
King Charles III and Queen Camilla are crowned in the Abbey — the 40th coronation on the site.