The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-02-01
WESTMINSTER ABBEY
ROMANCE AND SECRET PLACES OF
THIS FAMOUS CHURCH.

Mystery of the Door With the Seven
Locks That Blocks the Entrance to
the Chamber That Was nt One Time
the Treasury of England.
To the man who thinks he knows
every nook and Granny of Westminster
abbey it will probably be a surprise to
learn that there are many of its most
ancient and interesting parts of which
he has never even caught a glimpse.
For instance, in the eastern cloister
is an ancient double door so guarded
against unauthorized intrusion that it
can only be opened by seven keys,
which are in the jealous custody of as
many government officials. Five of the
keyholes of this wonderful door, which,
by the way, is covered with human
skins, are concealed from view by a
stout iron bar which traverses it.
This door gives access to vaulted
chamber known as the. chapel of the
PyX, the walls of which were standing,
as they stand today, before ever the
Norman conqueror landed ON the shore
Of Sussex. This chamber was once the
treasury of England, to which were
brought ''the most cherished posses
sions of the state" The regalia of the
Scottish kings and of the Holy Cross
of Holyrood were deposited here: for
many year it served as a mint for
coming silver and gold; it was, cen
turies ago, the scene of a daring rob
berry, when treasure valued at 100000
equal to two millions of present day
English money! was taken from it. and
today it contains, in addition to stone
altar, some Old chests, one of which is
said to have held the jewels of Mormon
kings.
Not far away is a passage leading to
the little cloister, the arched walls of
which were built under the eyes Of
Edward the Confessor nearly eight and
a half centuries ago and which has
echoed to the football of the first Will
liam and his mailed attendants. Hid
den from view under the pavement are
the bases of the original columns of the
abbey, which have also stood since be
fore the conquest, and adjoining the
little cloister is garden, shut off by
high walls from the outside world, in
which monks meditated and walked
and prayed eight centuries ago
At the southeast corner of the little
cloister are the remains of st. Catha-
rine's chapel, which was probably built
within living memory of the conquest
The beautiful doorway which once gave
access to it now serves as the entrance
to one of the official residences, and in
its walls are still to be seen traces of
the high altar and fireplace. Not far
from this interesting relic Of ancient
days is square gray tower which once
served the grim purpose of a monastic
prison and has also been the repository
of the royal jewels Qor many years
1t was known as the kings jewel
house') and acts of parliament. After
all these centuries of existence it still
has its uses, for in it are kept the stand
ards of weights and measures.
Few who have explored the abbey
have been privileged to inspect the
chapter library, with its treasures of
books and manuscripts many centuries
old, or perhaps know that under the
passage leading to the chapter house
lies the dust OF the first abbot of West
minister, who had his day when the
confessor was king of England. The
chapter house, which is open to the
public, has. of course, centuries of in
teresting memories. 1t was originally
the chamber where the abbot and
monks used to transact their monastic
business; for many generations the
commons sat and legislated here before
moving to the chapel of st. Stephen
In Westminster palace, and In later
years it was used as a storehouse for
the public records, including the origi-
nal Domesday Book. Beneath the chap
ter house is a crypt, the entrance to
which is kept jealously locked and
which seems to have served the pur-
pose of'a strong room to the Plantag-
enet kings, and not far from the chap
ter house is st. Faiths chapel, at one
time the vestry of the abbey and in
which the ancient and priceless altar
plate of the abbey is kept.
OF peculiar interest is the Jerusalem
chamber, which was built more than
800 years ago and was probably at one
time the abbot's withdrawing room. 1t
was in this chamber that Henry ". |
died, in curious fulfllment of a proph-
ecy that he should die in jerusalem:
1t hath been prophesied me many year
l Shall not die but in jerusalem
Which vainly l supposed the Holy Land.
But bear me to that chamber; there I'll
lie.
In that Jerusalem shall Harry die.
And in the same chamber Addison,
Congreve and Prior lay in state before
their splendid interment in the abbey.