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 la...