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Origins of Westminster Abbey
Welcome to our Westminster Abbey history section. You can skip to subsequent pages using the links below or simply continue reading to start at the beginning.
Origins of Westminster AbbeyWestminster Abbey, a magnificent building which grew over many centuries, is supposed to have been commenced by the monk-king, Edward the Confessor, for a Benedictine monastery, between 1055-65. It is reputed to occupy the site of a Saxon church built by King Sebert, whose grave is still shown in the abbey, on the so-called Thorn Ey or Isle of Thorns, then surrounded by a branch of the Thames.
Half marsh, half forest, and the haunt of the wild ox and the red deer, its awful solitudes would have made a fitting refuge for monk and priest from the hustle and bustle of ever turbulent London.
Next page: The Abbey in Saxon Times
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