Westminster Abbey is an
architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries. It also featured in a number of major points in
British history; the
Confessor's Shrine, the tombs of
Kings and
Queens, and countless memorials to the famous and the great. Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every
Coronation since
1066 as well as for numerous other
Royal occasions.
It is still today a church that is dedicated to regular worship and though neither a cathedral nor a parish church, it is a "Royal Peculiar" under the jurisdiction of a Dean and Chapter, subject only to the Sovereign.
In 1965-66, the Abbey celebrated its 900th anniversary, taking as its theme 'One People'. This theme seemed to be fitting for a church which, through a long history of involvement with the developing life of the English people, has produced a world-wide outreach.