Westminster Abbey

This beautiful silk seal bag dating from the reign of King Henry III has gone on display in our museum, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, where you’ll be able to see it until Easter next year. Scholars have recently discovered that the fabric used to make the bag is a perfect match to the silk cloth used to wrap the remains of the Emperor Charlemagne and is very likely to have originated from the same weavers. Both fabrics have the same design of white hares and floral patterns in gold, blue and red, albeit now faded with the passage of time. As the first Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne ruled over huge territories in Western and Central Europe. He died in 814 and was re-buried in the Karlsschrein (Charles's shrine) at Aachen Cathedral in Germany in 1215. The shrine was last opened in 1988 when photos were taken of the burial shroud. It is these pictures studied by the experts which have helped prove a match with the silk from the Abbey’s seal bag. The bag encloses a wax seal, the Great Seal of King Henry III, which was attached to an inventory of all the jewels and precious items on Edward the Confessor's shrine in the Abbey. As the silk used for Charlemagne’s shroud is a complete piece of cloth, the small piece at the Abbey originates from a separate silk but would have been produced by the same weavers on the same loom. It remains a mystery about how the Abbey received such a piece of high value fabric, but a possible theory offered by Matthew Payne, Keeper of the Muniments, who oversees the Abbey’s archives, is that the silk could have been a gift from Henry III's brother, Richard Earl of Cornwall who is known to have given precious cloths to the Abbey. Richard was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1257, some 400 years after his predecessor Charlemagne. You can find out more, and book tickets to The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, at: https://lnkd.in/e2cjGxAh

Earlier this evening, Members of the Royal Family attended a special carol service here at the Abbey, alongside a congregation of inspirational people from across the UK who have worked tirelessly to support others in their communities.    The #TogetherAtChristmas service will be shown in the UK on ITV and ITVX on Christmas Eve and you can read more about it at: https://lnkd.in/eY4vMAxE

Westminster Abbey has long been a beacon of the British choral tradition. The Abbey is now seeking to appoint a postgraduate Organ Scholar from 1 September 2025. This postgraduate scholarship provides an exciting and unique opportunity for a talented musician to work at Westminster Abbey and acquire extensive experience as a member of the music staff of one of the world’s great choral foundations. The Organ Scholar will assist the Organist and Master of the Choristers and his colleagues in all aspects of their work. Under their guidance, they will be encouraged to develop skills in playing choral and non-choral services to the highest standard, in addition to developing and expanding their organ repertory. They will also assist in training the junior boys and may have opportunities to direct the Lay Vicars in Abbey services. Applications will close at noon on Friday 3rd January 2025. For more information and to apply, visit our website at: https://lnkd.in/eXZjU2ga

Yesterday afternoon Their Highnesses The Amir of the State of Qatar and Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani visited Westminster Abbey as part of their State Visit to the United Kingdom. Their Highnesses took a tour of the Abbey with the Dean of Westminster before signing the Distinguished Visitors’ Book. You can read more about the visit at: https://lnkd.in/dqxbFMUh

If you've been enjoying the latest series of Wolf Hall on BBC One, you might have spotted some of the figures featured in the drama who have close connections with the Abbey. Among them are: Mary I, the daughter of Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon, was a key figure in her father's court. She succeeded her half-brother, Edward VI, and was crowned in the Abbey in 1553. She reigned until her death in 1558 and is buried in the Abbey with her half-sister, Elizabeth I. Edward VI was the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour - who died from complications shortly after his birth. He succeeded his father when he was nine years old and was crowned in the Abbey in 1547. As he was a minor, a Regency was created and his uncle, Edward Seymour, became Protector. He died aged just 15 and is buried in the Abbey's Lady Chapel. Anne of Cleves married Henry VIII as his fourth wife at Greenwich in January 1540, but the marriage was annulled in July that year. Anne was on affectionate terms with the future Elizabeth I, and is the only one of Henry's six wives to have been buried in the Abbey. Margaret Douglas was Henry VIII's niece and lived for a time with her aunt, the future Mary I, before becoming a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn. She led an eventful life, being imprisoned in the Tower of London on several occasions. She died in poverty in 1578 and was buried, at the expense of Elizabeth I, in the Abbey's Lady Chapel. You can find out more about the Tudors remembered in the Abbey on our website at: https://lnkd.in/ed5-8jbw

We are happy to announce that we have joined Westminster City Council's Sustainable City Charter in helping to reduce carbon emissions in the capital. The Abbey has made several key commitments in signing up, including reaching net zero by 2040. These commitments form part of our own carbon reduction plan as we work to achieve carbon neutrality, implementing a variety of energy efficiency measures. These include retrofitting the centuries’ old structure with new LED lighting, air tightness tests and upgrading the building management systems. The Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, The Dean of Westminster said: "We know that concern for the environment is a pressing issue for us all and, very properly, it is now a priority in our strategic thinking. We are already taking urgent steps to reduce our carbon emissions and we are delighted to stand alongside Westminster City Council in a shared commitment to sustainability". For more information see: https://lnkd.in/etqRkC9N #Sustainability #Greenenergy #Carbonneutral

We have an exciting opportunity in our archive for a medievalist or early modernist interested in manuscript fragments who is looking to undertake a PhD. The project - 'Recovering the submerged graphosphere of Westminster Abbey' - is a Chase-funded collaborative doctoral award with the Abbey and the Centre for Medieval & Early Modern Studies at the University of Kent, and will focus on the remarkable collection of manuscript fragments in the Abbey archives, many removed from early modern bindings in the library. If you would like to find out more, supervisors Dr Matthew Payne and Dr David Rundle will be holding an online briefing session at 4pm on Monday 2 December and you can find further details at: https://lnkd.in/ew2Cezum

We're looking forward to inviting our visitors and worshippers to spend Advent and Christmas with us at Westminster Abbey. We'll have services, concerts, tours and family events here at the Abbey, as well as livestreams, podcasts and weekly reflections for everyone to join in from home. You can find out more about our celebrations at: https://lnkd.in/dzwUEZYp

This is the Abbey's muniment room, where our archive is kept. The room is set high above the Abbey floor with a view down into Poets' Corner. One of the oldest in England, the collection includes records dating back as far as the 10th century. At the centre of the collection, we have records of the land the Abbey held until the late 19th century. Other documents in the muniments include royal charters, records of coronations and funerals, letters, tradesmen's bills and coroners' inquests for the City of Westminster 1760–1880. Swipe through to see some hidden architectural highlights of the room that is rarely seen!

As the sun sets over London, the Abbey is lit up for #RedWednesday, when we remember persecuted Christians and others who suffer for their beliefs around the world.   You can find out more about Red Wednesday and how to support the campaign at: https//https://lnkd.in/dsydhGsi