Summer sunshine streaming into the Abbey above the Chapel of St Edward the Confessor this afternoon

‘Like the heaven’s glorious sun’ - Love’s Labour's Lost (I, 1) #ShakespeareSunday

The Abbey's Lady Chapel was built by Henry VII and consecrated in 1516. Throughout the ornately decorated chapel you can find Tudor emblems including the rose, daisy (associated with Henry's mother, Lady Margaret Beaufort) and fleur-de-lis. #FlowersOnFriday

Thank you to our departing St Margaret's Choristers, who sang their final service with the choir this month. We wish each of the girls the very best for the future as they move to the next stage of their lives - though we look forward to seeing them for our trip to Paris before they finally leave!

Earlier this month we said farewell to our departing Form V choristers as the Abbey Choir sang their final service before their summer break. Thank you to all of the boys for their dedication and commitment to the choir, and wishing them the very best as they move on to their new schools.

'Call me to your remembrances' - Timon of Athens (III, 5) Rupert Brooke is one of sixteen poets of the First World War remembered with this memorial in the Abbey's Poets' Corner. He died 1915 while serving with the British Army in Greece. #ShakespeareSunday #GreekAndRomanPlays

'With all respect and rites of burial' - Julius Caesar (V, 5) This limestone Roman sarcophagus was found buried in the Abbey's precincts in 1869. It was used for two burials - a Roman one in around 300–400AD and a Saxon one in 900–1000AD. #ShakespeareSunday #GreekAndRomanPlays

Wishing Prince George a happy 13th birthday today!🎈 His Royal Highness is pictured here with members of the Royal Family at the annual Together at Christmas carol service at the Abbey last year.

Dedicated #onthisday in 1947: our memorial to Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë. The memorial was updated in 2024 to add the diaereses (the dots over the ‘e’ that indicate the word has two syllables) which were missing from the literary sisters' surname when the memorial was originally unveiled.

'God shall be my hope, my stay, my guide and lantern to my feet' - Henry VI, Part II (II, 3) #ShakespeareSunday

Wishing The Queen a very happy birthday! We'll be ringing the Abbey bells at 1pm to celebrate. Her Majesty is pictured here with The King and members of the Royal Family in the Abbey at the annual Commonwealth Day celebration in March.

Richard II was crowned in the Abbey #onthisday in 1377, aged just 10. This portrait in the nave shows the king in the Coronation Chair, wearing his coronation robes and holding the orb and sceptre. Dating from the 1390s, it is the earliest known portrait of an English monarch.

Among the plants thriving in the Abbey garden during the heatwave are two that have traditionally been used as herbal remedies 🧵

‘What shall be our sport, then?’ - As You Like It (I, 2) The novice monks at the medieval Abbey often played games in the cloisters - including a popular form of marbles called nine holes. Some indentations from the game can still be found in the benches. #ShakespeareSunday

This month's #ExploreYourAchive theme is #architecture, so we're heading back to the 1950s when an extensive programme of cleaning and repairs was undertaken in the Abbey's nave. We've recently been carrying out a new set of works on the ceiling, consolidating stonework and repointing lime mortar.

Westminster Abbey has been the setting for 16 royal weddings. One of the earliest was held #onthisday in 1290 when Princess Margaret, daughter of Edward I and Eleanor of Castile, married John, son of the Duke of Brabant. Discover more: www.westminster-abbey.org/history/royalty/royal-weddings

'Crown'd with the golden sun' - Henry V (II, 4) #ShakespeareSunday #Heatwave

Vanessa Simeoni is our Head Conservator, and for more than 25 years she's looked after the Abbey's tombs, memorials and works of art. Find out more about her fascinating role: www.westminster-abbey.org/about/abbey-review/stories/meet-vanessa-simeoni-head-conservator

Ready to create unforgettable memories with your family? Follow in the footsteps of royalty past and present, and make the most of your day by taking part in one of our exciting events, designed to spark curiosity and bring a thousand years of history to life for your whole family.

The Abbey is a great place to come and find some shade during the #heatwave. If you are visiting us this week, please remember to: - Bring water with you - Wear a hat/sunscreen - Use an umbrella for shade - Wear loose, light clothing We have supplies of water on site if you need it.

'O my royal father!' - Henry IV, Part II (IV, 4) This is the tomb of Edward III, decorated with bronze statuettes of his children. Edward and his wife Philippa had twelve children and the statuettes - or weepers - representing six of them survive. #ShakespeareSunday #FathersDay

Wishing The Prince of Wales a very happy birthday today! We'll be ringing the Abbey bells at 12:30pm to celebrate. His Royal Highness is pictured meeting members of our Choir following the annual Commonwealth Day service here at the Abbey in March.

The Abbey Choir sings Purcell's Rejoice in the Lord Alway during Evensong here on Sunday. One of Purcell's best-loved works, it's sometimes known as the Bell Anthem thanks to its prelude which imitates the pealing of bells. Watch the full service at: www.youtube.com/live/1ytfInA...

Come behind the scenes at The King Charles III Sacristy - a new building being constructed at the Abbey to transform the welcome we offer our visitors ⤵️

'A clip-wing'd griffin' - Henry IV, Part I (III, 1) One of the more unusual manuscripts in the our library collection is a medieval bestiary which features illustrations of animals both real and mythical with a moral lesson about each one. Among them is this fearsome griffin. #ShakespeareSunday

Today is the Sovereign's Official Birthday and we'll be ringing the Abbey bells at midday to celebrate. The King is pictured here attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at the Abbey in March.

Ahead of Scotland and England's first matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we've been spotting heraldic symbols of both countries in the Abbey, including: - This crowned Scottish lion on the tomb Mary Queen of Scots - The three lions of England on a carved shield featuring Henry III's royal arms

This month's #ExploreYourArchive theme is #colourful, so we're taking a look back at the making of The Queen's Window, designed by artist David Hockney and unveiled in the Abbey in 2018. Made at Barley Studios in York, the window was commissioned to celebrate the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles Dickens, author of some of the greatest novels in the English language, was born #onthisday in 1870. Dickens is buried among other literary powerhouses in the Abbey's Poets' Corner and you can discover more at:www.westminster-abbey.org/history/explore-our-history/the-nations-memory

'The courage of a woman' - Antony and Cleopatra (IV, 14) Dame Millicent Fawcett, leader of the constitutional women's suffrage movement, is remembered with this memorial in the Abbey's. She is also honoured with a statue just across the road from us in Parliament Square. #ShakespeareSunday