A Brief History of Westminster Abbey

Building Blocks
The original abbey was built on the site of a monastery, which dates back to the 11th Century. Thus a royal association was born as Anglo-Saxon monarch Edward the Confessor was behind its conception. The more modern structure was started by Henry III in 1245, and the new towers and spires which were designed by Sir Christopher Wren got added by 1740. Edward the Confessor was buried there in 1066 and in the same year on Christmas Day, William the Conqueror became the first ever monarch to be crowned at the Abbey.

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