June 11 marked the first major addition to the Westminster Abbey in 273 years. This new tower will lead visitors to galleries 53 feet above the floor of the Abbey. The galleries, which till now had been used for storage, fill the medieval triforium.
MUMA (McInnes Usher McKnight Architects) designed the new galleries which will showcase among others, the funeral effigies of English kings and queens as well as the marriage certificate of William and Kate.
Photography: Alan Williams
The stair and elevator tower (named Weston Tower) is designed by Ptolemy Dean – the consulting architect of the Abbey who is known for his appearances in British shows like Restoration. This tower is placed in the South-East, outside Poet’s corner – where Charles Dickens, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Geoffrey Chaucer, and many others have been buried.
Photography: Alan Williams
By using the motif found in other parts of the abbey – a star formed by rotating one square on another – as the plan of the tower, Dean has tried to maintain the tower in the same language as the rest of the Abbey. The exterior is made of 500 leaded glass windows, set into walls.
Photography: Alan Williams
Named The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, this new addition will try to deepen the visitor’s understanding of the rich history of Britain. Inside the gallery, artifacts are placed within a glass vitrine. The triforium’s oak rafters form a beautiful background in which to view the pieces.
It showcases 300 never-seen-before treasures of the Abbey, reflecting the 1000 year history of Westminster.
Photography: Peter Macdiarmid
The exhibition is divided into four parts:
One part of the exhibition is called Building Westminster Abbey. It shows, in incredible detail, the extensive renovation of the Abbey under Christopher Wren. It also includes a 7-foot high model of the Abbey. This model has a planned-but-not-built tower designed by Wren. A column capital from St. Edward the Confessor’s cloister (built around 1100).
Photography: Alan Williams
The second part of the exhibition is called “Worship and Daily Life”. It demonstrates the life of a working church and daily worship and the long history of worship in the building. The Westminster Retable – the oldest surviving altarpiece in England and the Litlyngton Missal –an illuminated 14th Century book are among the display.
Photography: Dan Kitwood
The “Westminster Abbey and the Monarchy” part of the exhibition, shows the relationship of the church with the crown. This has been the coronation church since 1066. On display in the gallery is Mary II’s coronation chair (which was made for the only joint coronation in history – of William III and Mary II)
The Abbey and National Memory exhibit celebrate the Abbeys development into a place of commemoration and remembrance.
Photography: Andrew Dunsmore
The galleries are designed to let in sunlight, by leaving the windows uncovered. Working with Max Fordham – an environmental engineering company – the path of sunrays in the Galleria through the year was mapped. The showcases were arranged keeping in mind this mapping, such that the rays don’t hit them.
As such, the galleries can hold 230 visitors at a time. But with no time limit, the number of tickets sold will highly depend on the time taken for each visitor.
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