31. 62. Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is one of the oldest buildings in London and one of the most impor­tant religious centers in the country. Many kings and queens and famous people are buried or commemorated there. Its founder, Edward the Confessor built it on the site of an old church called Saint Peter's. The Abbey was blessed at Christmas in 1065 and Edward died a week later. Edward the Confessor was made a saint after his death and he is buried in a special chapel dedicated to him. Nine English kings and queens are buried in Saint Edward's Chapel including Henry the Fifth. When he was buried his battle horses were led up to the High Altar.

The Abbey has been scene of every royal coronation since William the Conqueror in 1066. Monarchs are crowned while sitting on the Coronation throne kept in the Chapel. The Stone of Scone, a symbol of Scottish royalty, is kept underneath it. Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953 by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The interior of the Abbey is one of the finest achievements of English architecture. There are over 1,000 monuments. The memorials provide a history of English monumental sculpture.

In the Museum of Abbey Treasures you can see models of the Crown Jewels, used for coronation rehearsals. There are also lifelike models of famous people made after their death. These include ibeth of York. A copy of her face was traditionally used for the pictures of queens on playing cards.

Parts of the Abbey are set aside for the memorials and tombs of famous people. In Poet's Corner many famous British poets, playwrights and novelists are buried or commemorated. A monument to Chaucer was erected here in 1556. In Poet's Corner there are memorials to Shakespeare, Walter Scott and ley.

Near the entrance to the Abbey you can see the tomb of the Unknown Warrior. It commemorates all British soldiers who died in the First World War.

Westminster Abbey presents a stunning array of historical and commemorative monuments in a ng of outstanding architectural beauty - but it must be remembered that it is still a Christian Church i regular services. The abbey is open daily, but when services are being held certain parts are closed to tourist.

There are 39 City churches in London. Westminster Cathedral is England's chief Roman holic Church. It was completed in 1903. Its nave is the widest in England. Its bell tower /284 ft/ is 50 ft her then the west towers of Westminster Abbey. It is well worth of visit, not least for the view from the of the bell tower, which is reached by lift.

32. 63 The Normans

The Normans, or 'northmen', were descended from Vikings who had settled in northern France during the 9th century. In 1066 King Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) of England died and was succeeded by Harold, Earl of Wessex. However

there were two other claimants to the throne: William, Duke of Normandy and Harold Hardrada of Norway. Both invaded England: Harold - the north, but was defeated, and William – three days later - invaded in the south with the best cavalry in Europe. The battle of Hastings was one of the most decisive battles in English history, and it brought victory to William who became the English king - William I (1066-1087), known as 'the Conqueror. He also controlled most of Wales despite uprisings by the Welsh princes, and subdued rebels in the north, but he failed to make the Scottish king accept him as his overlord though he had made raids on Scotland too.

Thre Normans introduced a new social system into England which is known

as feudalism. William I organized a strong central government in which Normans held most positions of power. He retained the Anglo-Saxon sheriffs as his representatives in the shires. They kept law and order and collected taxes. The nobles payed dues to the king. The knights paid dues to their lord and fought with him in the king's army. There were two types of peasant. Free peasants owned or rented land; villeins paid their lord dues and worked on his land as well as their own.

After the death of William I in 1089, all subsequent kings of re related to him in some way - his eldest son Robert in Normandy and his second son William II (1087-1100) in England, known as Rufus (from the redness of his face), who was succeeded by a third brother, Henry I (1100-1135). There were plots and fights for the throne between the rivals in that period, including the civil war in 1139— 1153, after which, in 1154, Henry of Anjou became king - Henry II (1154-1189) - who was the first of the Plantagenet kings.