Educa on Department Under Our Feet Trail

Transcription

1 Educa on Department Under Our Feet Trail Most people look up at the beautiful windows and high vaulted ceilings of Westminster Abbey. Whilst we hope you do this today, why not also spend some time looking beneath your feet and finding out some interesting things that would otherwise go As you enter the Abbey by the Great West Doors you will see many memorials laid into the floor. You may walk over all of them except the one surrounded by poppies. Make your way over to this memorial. Over 3,500 people are buried at Westminster Abbey. Thirteen queens and seventeen kings! There are memorials to all sorts of people, from poets to scientists! Part of the inscription reads They buried him among the kings because he had done good toward God and toward his house The most famous grave in the Abbey is that of the Unknown Warrior. It symbolises all who have lost their lives at war. It is believed that the idea for this memorial came from an army chaplain serving on the Western Front in Why are poppies used as a symbol of remembrance? Why do you think it is so important that no one knows who the warrior is? To the right of the grave of the Unknown Warrior (if you have your back to the Great West Doors) is a memorial to Robert and Olave Baden Powell. It is in the south west corner of the Nave. Which worldwide organisations for young people did Robert and Olave Baden Powell form? 1

2 Return to the centre of the Nave. Stand by the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and face the Great West Doors. Look down at your feet at the memorials on the floor. Which two men had the job of Prime Minister three times each? Can you find the memorial to the British Prime Minister who famously said Never was so much owed, by so many, to so few? (Clue: he was referring to the pilots of the Battle of Britain). What was his name? There are several interesting brass memorials in the Nave. Many show beautiful figures of those buried beneath. On the North Side of the Nave find the memorial to Robert Thomas Wilson. He is depicted dressed as a knight with his wife by his side. How may children did Robert and his wife have? Choose your favourite brass in the Nave and sketch it in the space below. Monumental Brasses were first made in England in the thirteenth century. In the Victorian period brasses became very fashionable again. 2

3 Make your way down the aisle and around the altar. There are some important scientists either buried or commemorated here. The most famous is Sir Isaac Newton. Write down the names of those scientists buried or commemorated near him. You can look them up later to find out what they discovered. Walk under the arch and into the Quire. Stand in the centre of the black and white chequered floor and face the High Altar. Most of the tombstones are laid with the feet pointing to the east. This is traditional when burying the dead, so that they are facing towards the east. The sun rises in the east and this reminds Christians that Jesus rose from death. The Cosmati pavement was made over 700 years ago during the reign of King Henry III. It is made from coloured glass and stones. Why do you think so much effort and money went into this floor? (Clue: who might sit here? When?) 3

4 Leave the Cosmati pavement and turn right to follow the Ambulatory around behind the High Altar. Many of the memorial plaques on the floor have become very faded and faint. It is difficult to read many of the inscriptions. The floor is also uneven. Why do you think this might be? Clue: the tomb of Saint Edward the Confessor lies here. Make your way to Henry VII s Chapel look at the chequered floor. In front of the grand tomb of Henry VII is the spot where his son, Henry VIII should have been buried. Look for an area of chequered paving in the middle of the floor which is different from the rest. In the end, Henry VIII wanted to be buried at Windsor with his third wife. Which three monarchs are buried near the altar? (Find their names on the chequered floor) STRANGE BUT TRUE! There is a tiny plaque on the chequered floor to Amelia. She was a daughter of George II. The day before her funeral, Mr. Tuffin went down into the vault to make some notes on the coffins. Unfortunately, someone closed the lid of the vault and locked the chapel with Mr. Tuffin still inside! Luckily, he escaped the following morning when the vault was opened up in preparation for the funeral. You can imagine how scared the people must have been to see poor Mr. Tuffin climbing OUT of the vault! 4

5 As you leave Henry VII s Chapel you will go down some steps. Turn to your left into St. Nicholas s Chapel. During the Middle Ages a finger of St. Nicholas was kept here along with some other relics! Find the brass marking the tomb of a knight. It belongs to Sir Humphrey Stanley who died in Draw lines to label the parts of a knight s armour below. Gauntlet Sabatons Helmet On leaving St. Nicholas s Chapel, turn left and head down to Poets Corner in the south transept. Here many famous writers and poets are buried and remembered. Find the tombs of Robert Browning, Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Edward Lear. Complete the following famous quotes: Oh to be in.. now that April s there (Robert Browning) The Owl and the... went to sea in a beautiful pea green boat (Edward Lear) Tis better to have. and lost than never to have loved at all (Lord Tennyson) Loved England pussy cat Write down the names of some other famous people whose names are written on the floor. You can look them up later. 5

6 Exit the Abbey into the Cloisters, this is where the monks who lived at Westminster Abbey when it was first built used to spend much of their time. One of the finest example of medieval floor tiles in the country is to be found press in the Chapter House. The designs were created by ing the pattern into the tile and then filling it up with light coloured clay. What is the significance of the three lions you see on the tiles? (Clue: Think of football shirts!) The Cloisters date back to the 13th century. When monks lived at the Abbey they would have used the cloisters for studying. The Chapter House was used for meetings. A chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict would be read to the monks here every morning. What is the name of the mythical creature that is half man, half horse also seen on the tiles? Draw some of the pictures on the tiles. 6

7 As you leave the Chapter House, turn left into the cloisters and then turn right. Just on the corner look out for the very large black stone dedicated to the monks who lost their lives in What terrible disease did they die from? How many of them are buried under the stone? Nearby, just under the stone seat, find the very old and worn effigies. They show medieval abbots of Westminster Abbey. One of the figures is wearing a mitre (a special hat for an abbot or bishop). Effigy: image of a person on the top of their tomb. Abbot: person in charge of a monastery. Choose one of the figures and sketch it below. What might it have been like for the monks living at the Abbey 800 years ago? Think of three things that you have at home that they would not have had then We hope you have enjoyed your visit. Please follow signs for the exit to leave by the Great West Doors. 7