Westminster Abbey, formerly known as the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is one of London’s most iconic landmarks—and one that somehow feels even more impressive when you see it on a postcard.
The site has been a place of worship for over a thousand years. Around 959, Benedictine monks established an abbey here, and its first large church was built in the 1040s under Edward the Confessor, who was later buried inside. The building we recognize today began taking shape in 1245, when Henry III ordered a grand new church.
As I look at the image on the card, it’s hard not to imagine how many moments of history these walls have witnessed. The monastery itself was dissolved in 1540 under Henry VIII, and later re-established as a royal peculiar—answering directly to the monarch—by Elizabeth I.
Inside, the Abbey is as much a resting place as it is a church. Sixteen monarchs are buried here, including Elizabeth I and her rival Mary, Queen of Scots. George II was the last monarch laid to rest here, after which royal burials largely moved to Windsor.
But it’s not only royalty. More than 3,000 people are buried or commemorated within the Abbey, turning it into a kind of national memory in stone. One of the most famous spots is Poets’ Corner, where literary giants like Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, and Rudyard Kipling are remembered. Even on a simple postcard, that idea—that so many stories end and are preserved here—really stands out.
Near the entrance lies the grave of the Unknown Warrior, an unidentified soldier from the First World War. It’s a quiet but powerful reminder that the Abbey isn’t just about kings and queens, but also about ordinary lives shaped by extraordinary times.
The Abbey is still very much part of modern history. Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, 40 monarchs have been crowned here. More recently, Prince William, Prince of Wales married Catherine Middleton here in 2011, and in 2022 the state funeral of Elizabeth II took place within these same walls—the first royal funeral held here in over 260 years.
It’s strange to think that a single building can hold so much history. Looking at this postcard, Westminster Abbey feels less like just a landmark and more like a timeline—one that stretches from medieval monks to modern-day royalty.
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