This time on sightseeing spot facts, we're taking a look at Westminster Abbey. In the heart of London, right behind Big Bend and the houses of Parliament, is one of the most famous religious buildings in the country, often attracting over a million visitors each year. With the history stretching back over a thousand years, Westminster Abbey has been the site of royal coronations, weddings and funerals, as well as the final resting spot for many of the people who helped shape the history of Britain. The Abbey is dedicated to Saint Peter, one of the original followers of Jesus, who went on to become the first Pope and leader of the Christian faith. Westminster Abbey has a special status called a royal peculiar, meaning it's directly controlled by the monarch and run by a dean, not a bishop. The origin of this great building start around the year 960, when Benedictine Monks brought here by Saint Dunston started worshiping at a simple monastery. One more time, the Old Decades later Edward the Confessor transformed the monastery into an Abbey and following his death in 1066 was buried here in what has become one of the most important and revered tombs in the Abbey. The Abbey he built is even depicted in the Bayer tapestry, which is the only surviving image of the original Abbey. Not a lot of people know this, but the land on which the Abbey was built was once part of a marshy island in the river Thames, known as Thorny Island, which gradually became part of the mainland over time. The Abbey we see today however is largely the ambitious design of Henry III, who rebuilt it in a Gothic style. Later Monks continued to expand the Abbey and among the notable additions was the Lady Chapel, built by Henry VII, its famous fort intricate fan-volted ceiling, truly one of the most magnificent areas in the Abbey. The Abbey underwent further changes in the mid 1700s with the addition of two towers to the West End, and has remained largely unchanged since then. On entering the Abbey you be greeted by the awe-inspiring sight of the nave, the central part of the church. The soaring columns and arches lining both sides of the nave create an impressive sense of grandeur and scale that's hard to fully appreciate without seeing it with your own eyes. Another thing that I'll catch your eye on entering is the tomb of the unknown warrior, which honors the sacrifices of World War I. It's one of the only floor tombs which cannot be walked upon. The next thing you'll notice is the scientist's corner where some of the greatest minds of all time are commemorated, among them are Sir Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking's, just to name a few. Then you'll come to the choir with its beautiful stalls and black and white marble floor dating from 1677. The choir is also home to the famous Abbey organ, widely regarded as one of the finest in the world with 7,000 pipes. At the sacred high altar is the Cosmati pavement, a 7-meter square mosaic of glass, marble and stone, a collaboration between Italian and English masons that has been here for 700 years. To the right of the altar is poet's corner, the memorial site for over a hundred poets and writers, including figures such as William Shakespeare, Jane Austin and Charles Dickens. Other notable spaces within Westminster Abbey include the Clostez, which are a series of covered walkways that surround an open courtyard. They offer a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of London and were originally used by the monks as a place for contemplation and reflection. As you leave the Clostez, you'll come to the chapter house, which was historically used as a meeting place where monks and the abbot would gather for prayer and discussions. It has an octagonal shape and could seat 80 monks. The central pillar expands into a striking vaulted ceiling. Around here you'll also see the oldest door in Britain, dating to around 1050. Almost 1,000 years ago, on Christmas Day in 1066, William the Conqueror was crowned here, and since then another 38 kings and queens have also been crowned here, in a ceremony known as the coronation. And this chair, the coronation chair, has been used for the last 700 years. Made of oak and originally covered in gold leaf, it was designed to hold a very sacred stone from Scotland called the Stone of Scoon, a stone upon which countless monarchs of Scotland had been crowned. Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953 was notable because it was the first time a coronation was broadcast internationally. Although her father, King George VI's coronation was also televised, it isn't typically recognized as the first televised coronation because of the limited reach of the technology at that time. This year, 2023 in May we will witness the crowning of King Charles III in what will be the 40th coronation at Westminster Abbey. Since 1100 when Henry I married here, the Abbey has been the site of many royal weddings, 16 to be exact, including the wedding of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1947 and Prince William and Catherine in 2011. When it comes to funerals, over 3,000 people have been buried here, including 30 kings and queens of England and hundreds of influential figures from various disciplines. Arguably, the most imposing and lavish tomb is that of Henry VII in the Lady Chapel that he built. It has life-size bronze effigies of Henry and his wife Elizabeth and would take a video all of its own just to describe it and the many other parts of Westminster Abbey. So I leave it up to you to explore and discover the rest of this remarkable place. Thanks for watching. Like and subscribe for more.