Darren Marshall, age 12, of Springfield, I11., for his question:
WHEN WAS WESTMINSTER ABBEY BUILT?
Westminster Abbey is one of England's great national churches. Its official name is the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter, but it received its name of Abbey because it once served as the church of an ancient monastery.
Edward the Confessor built a church on the site of the Abbey between about 1042 and 1065. But the main part of the Abbey was started in 1245 by Henry III. He made the Abbey one of the best examples of French Gothic architecture in England.
In the 1500s, Henry VII added the chapel that bears his name. The towers of the famous church were completed in 1740.
Westminster Abbey is not only one of the most beautiful churches in England, it is also regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world. It stands in London not too far from the River Thames and the Houses of Parliament.
Many of England's most important historical events are linked to Westminster Abbey. All of the English rulers from the time of William the Conqueror, except Edward V and Edward VIII, were crowned in the church. An old Coronation Chair, which stands in the chapel of Edward the confessor, dates from 1300.
The floor plan of Westminster Abbey is in the shape of a Latin cross. The church is 513 feet long. The transepts, or crossarms, extend 203 feet. The nave, or main hall, is 38 feet wide and 102 feet high. The twin towers on the west are 225 feet high. The square central tower barely rises above the roof.
The cloisters surrounding the Abbey date from the 1200s and 1300s. The chapter house was built in the 1200s. West of the main cloisters is the famous Jerusalem Chamber, dating from the 1300s.
During World War II, parts of the Abbey were damaged in air raids.
A program designed to completely restore Westminster Abbey and maintain it properly started in 1953.
Westminster Abbey became the seat of the bishop in 1539. This act made the Abbey a cathedral. However, only this one bishop has ever served there. A dean has headed the Abbey from the time of Queen Elizabeth I to the present day.
Burial in Westminister Abbey is one of the greatest honors England can give. Many kings and queens are buried in the chapel of Henry VII.
Statesmen and other great men of England are buried in other parts of the church. The bodies of many of the country's greatest poets lie in the Poets' Corner.
The Abbey is located in a district of London called Westminster. It is the oldest part of the West End and served as the center of Britain's government of more than 1,000 years. Not too far away are Buckingham Palace, the famous Victoria Memorial and also 10 Downing Street.