St. Margarets Church with Westminster Abbey in the background
In the near center of the photo is the rose window above the north door of WMA. The two towers at the right of the photo flank the west door of the abbey. Those are the doors that Prince William and Catherine (and their guests) walked through as they entered the abbey to get married.
This photo was taken at the end of the 'Westminster by Gaslight' tour from London Walks. Starting at the Westminster Tube Station and walking across Westminster Bridge, we then walked south along the river to Lambeth Bridge, turned west, went through the neighborhood of many MPs and ended up here, at the south end of the Palace of Westminster. And just across the street is this church - St. Margaret's Church where Winston Churchill was married. I'd never put this photo on my Cranberry Morning blog before because I didn't like that green wall. But since then, it's grown on me and I'm okay with it being in the photo.
From westminster-abbey.org:
'It may seem surprising to find another large church standing so close
to the might and magnificence of Westminster Abbey. Why was an
additional church needed in such a position? To answer that question we
have to recall that Westminster Abbey was originally a Benedictine
Abbey. In 1065 Edward the Confessor gave orders for the consecration of
the abbey church of the Benedictine monastery. That great church was to
be the centre of life for the monks of Westminster. Following the Rule
of St Benedict, they would assemble at fixed times throughout each day
to worship God by singing what is known as 'the Divine Office'. That was
their duty - 'office' comes from the Latin word for 'duty'. This was
their main task in life, so they called it Opus Dei - 'God's work'.
Nothing was allowed to disturb them in carrying out this basic duty.
However, the monks of the newly-founded monastery of St Peter in
Westminster were disturbed by the people of Westminster who came to hear
Mass. So the monks set about building a smaller church next to the
Abbey where the local people could receive all the sacraments and
ministrations of the Church, thus leaving the monks in the Abbey
undisturbed. The church was dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch about
whom little is known, though her cult was extremely popular in the
middle ages.
It seems that St Margaret’s was built in the latter part of the 11th
century, although we do not have a precise date. From then until the
dissolution of the monastery by Henry VIII in 1540, ministry to the
ever-growing population of Westminster was undertaken by the monks of
the Abbey. This arrangement was the basis for the close relationship
between St Margaret's and Westminster Abbey which has existed ever
since.' Read more of this interesting article.
***
When my daughter took me to England, we were able to get into the gallery of the House of Commons. In the late evening, we stood in line in front of St. Stephen's entrance, then walked up some steps and were greeted by security, who took our bags and made sure we weren't carrying anything threatening. Watching the proceedings was a fun and fascinating experience. I don't watch C-Span because I don't have cable, but I did see it a few times while my dad was still alive. (He could've watched C-Span all day.) Anyway, nothing I saw on C-Span was nearly as interesting as the raucous debate that took place in the House of Commons. They make a lot of noise, yank on coattails, and generally give a good show for onlookers in the gallery. It was definitely worth attending.
I realize that this is serious business, but still, I can't help it that it was entertaining as well as interesting. :-)
'Apple Peel'
