This is London November 2026 - Flipbook - Page 16
WESTMINSTER ABBEY – MORE
THAN A LANDMARK
Westminster Abbey is familiar to
millions of people around the world,
from royal weddings and coronations to
state occasions and national
commemorations. Yet beyond these
landmark moments lies a building filled
with quieter stories, hidden spaces and
traditions that continue to shape life at
the Abbey today.
This autumn, a programme of special
tours, talks and late events will offer
visitors new ways to explore more than
1,000 years of history, from the Abbey’s
Benedictine origins to the people and
ideas that have shaped its place at the
heart of British life.
The Medieval Monastery tour offers
an opportunity to explore Westminster
Abbey through its Benedictine past,
following the story of the monks who
lived and worshipped here before the
monastery was dissolved under Henry
VIII. The 90-minute tour takes visitors
into some of the Abbey’s oldest spaces,
including the Cloisters, Chapter House,
Jerusalem Chamber and Pyx Chamber,
offering a glimpse into the daily life of
the medieval community that helped
shape the Abbey we know today.
Memorials and Memory tour, running
on selected dates throughout the
autumn, explores the Abbey as a place
of national commemoration. With more
than 3,000 people buried and
remembered at Westminster Abbey, each
memorial stone, window and statue tells
a story about who we choose to
remember and why.
The autumn programme also includes
experiences designed to make the
Abbey’s history accessible to all.
A British Sign Language tour and an
audio-described tour, both running on
21 November, will explore 1,000 years of
Abbey history, following in the footsteps
of monks and monarchs and exploring
the building and the lives and legacies
of those buried and remembered there.
The programme also brings highprofile speakers into the Abbey to
explore some of the people and ideas
connected to its history. Author Greg
Jenner will examine how celebrity, fame
and posthumous glory have shaped who
we choose to remember at an evening
event in the Nave on 12 November. On
19 November, historians Matthew Payne
and Thomas Penn will tell the story of
William Caxton’s print revolution, 500
years after he set up his printing press
by Westminster Abbey.
A series of lunchtime talks in
St Margaret’s Church (pictured) will
include Remembering the Battle of
Britain on 11 November and The Origin
of Carols on 9 December.
Full autumn events programme at
www.westminster-abbey.org
Photo: Johan Persson
16
ABBA VOYAGE CELEBRATES
50 YEARS OF ‘DANCING QUEEN’
This autumn, ABBA Voyage
welcomed local dance development
charity East London Dance to the ABBA
Arena to celebrate the 50th anniversary
of the iconic hit Dancing Queen.
ABBA Voyage and East London Dance
joined forces to facilitate over 50 local
dancers and community members for a
public flashmob outside the ABBA
Arena, performing a new dance routine
created in response to the track, with
choreography that fused disco with the
movement languages that make East
London unique, including Afro,
Bollywood and Salsa.
Rooted in the heart of the Queen
Elizabeth Olympic Park, ABBA Voyage
takes pride in its connection to the East
London community. This ongoing
commitment to local organisations made
working with the team at East London
Dance, alongside The Blair Academy, a
natural moment to celebrate this
landmark anniversary.
ABBA Voyage opened in May 2022 in
the purpose-built ABBA Arena located at
the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in
London. Redefining the boundaries of
live entertainment, this pioneering
concert brings one of the biggest pop
acts of all time, back to the stage.
Blending cutting-edge technology,
spectacular lighting, and some of the
most beloved songs ever written, ABBA
take to the stage in a whole new way
alongside a ten-piece live band.
T H I S I S L O N D O N M A G A Z I N E • T H I S I S L O N D O N O N L I N E • w w w. t i l . c o m • @ t h i s i s l o n d o n m a g
