 Samuel Johnson once said, When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford. Over the centuries, London has been the home to some of the most brilliant and well-known writers in the history. It is a wonderful experience to walk down the streets of London and remember how London has been the inspiration behind countless poems. So here I am with this brand new episode of my vlog series where I am going to help you experience literature in a completely unique and personal way. While in London, what can be more hard-touching than passing by houses of famous writers or ordering a drink in a pub where a literary genius must have penned down their classic work or perhaps paying a peaceful home age to the final resting place of the world's greatest writers and authors. Oh yes, you got that right. Today I am going to take you to one such literary landmark a place that has not just been used as the wedding venue for royal weddings but is also a coronation location and a burial site for 3,300 prominent British officials like Prime Minister, monarch, statesmen, scientists and of course British authors and it is none other than the Westminster Abbey designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site While taking you through Westminster Abbey and also I am going to take you through the famous poet's corner where rest the grave of the famous poet who is not just widely considered to be the father of English literature but is also the greatest poet of the Middle Ages our beloved Joffrey Chaucer also you will find the graves of various other authors like Charles Dickens and Rudyard Skapling What you see behind me is the Westminster Abbey It's an iconic landmark that is an absolute must-visit attraction in London It is the most historic church in the English-speaking world Westminster Abbey has a very long and rich history To begin with let me give you some quick historic facts Westminster Abbey dates back to the 10th century when it is said that a local fisherman on the river Thames had a vision of Saint Peter and he found a church that became home to a community of monks King Edward the Confessor wanted to build a place for his tomb and he decided to use this monastery and build a larger church dedicated to Saint Peter the Apostle This was the first church in England and it was built in the Romanesque style Only one week after the construction of this church was completed King Edward passed away and he was buried in the Abbey The Abbey did not finish in the ring of King Edward the Confessor A little less than two centuries later King Henry III tore down every part of the Abbey and rebuilt it in a classical Gothic architectural style which is seen today Later in the ring of King Henry VII he built what is now more commonly known as the separate part of this Westminster Abbey called the Chapel of Henry VII or more famously known as the Lady Chapel which was basically built by Henry VII as a dedication to the Virgin Mary The Abbey suffered a lot during the Civil War in 1600 with damage being sustained by the statues and religious images Although it was protected by Oliver Cromwell during the Commonwealth period during the Commonwealth period between 1649 to 1659 and that is the reason why Oliver Cromwell is buried in the Lady Chapel This spectacular medieval church that you see right behind me has hosted every coronation which means that everyone since William the Conqueror to Elizabeth II has been crowned in this Abbey Westminster Abbey is an architectural genius work It's not just a place of daily worship but has also hosted 16 royal weddings In 1100 Henry I was the first monarch to get married in the Abbey and in 2011 Prince William who was the eldest son of late Princess Diana and Prince Charles married his wife Catherine Middleton or Kate Middleton who were in this Abbey On top of that, the Abbey also serves as the burial place of all the royals and notables including Henry VI, VII, VIII and the feuding Tudor sibling Elizabeth I and Mary I What is ironic that Mary I or known as Bloody Mary and Elizabeth I who had very different political views one was a Catholic and the other one was the Protestant shared the same tomb in the Abbey Elizabeth Coffins is resting on top of Mary's coffin and on the other side of the aisle is the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots By the way, the quick trivia for all Princess Diana fan there After the tragic car accident that took away Princess Diana's life in 1997, her funeral was held at the Westminster Abbey As you enter the Abbey, the first thing that you will notice is a burial space of an unknown warrior It is said that an unknown soldier's body from World War I was brought to UK and he was buried here symbolizing his love for the country This grave of the unknown warrior has become the place of pilgrimage for so many people who visit Westminster Abbey every day You will be surprised to know that this is the first church that was built in the shape of a cross It is a perfect example of society's greatest architectural genius The interior height to which the Abbey owes much of its stately appearance is 101 feet Can you believe that the staircase that leads us from the ground floor to the first floor of the Abbey has 108 steps? As you walk into the Abbey, you will also see rose windows filled with stained glasses, pointed arches and other common features of the Gothic architecture The poet's corner is one of the Westminster Abbey's most iconic feature It was originally established in the year 1400 as the burial place of Joffrey Chaucer But later, it was expanded to include other famous English authors Today, there are more than 100 writers and poets who happen to commemorate in this burial place The first poet to be buried in this place was Joffrey Chaucer But this wasn't because of his famous writings It was actually because he was a clerk of King's work Nearly 200 years later, in 1599, Edmund Spencer who wrote Fairy Queen for Elizabeth I one of the longest poems of English language asked to be buried near Chaucer A tradition was then born and over the years this corner of the Abbey has become the final resting place for some of the country's most esteemed authors, poets and playwrights Notable writers who were laid to rest in the corner include Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and our very own Rudiage Kipling Meanwhile, there are also memorials of other great literary giants who weren't buried here but have been given their due respect in the poets' corner The list includes William Shakespeare, Bronte sisters Louis Carroll, Jane Austen, Shelley and Keats You will also find floor stones of famous Victorian authors like J.M. Hopkins, D.H. Lawrence, Lord Macaulay, George Iliad Dylan Thomas, Robert Browning and our beloved Alfred Lord Tennyson Not just their Victorians were glorified but this place pay due homage to the modern and post-modern writers as well You will find floor stones of T.S. Eliot, Philip Larkin and W.H. Auden By the way, Westminster Abbey is the place where you will find the gravestone of all poet laureates The tradition was started by Ben Johnson who was the first official poet laureate and the only person who was buried in an upright position in the Westminster Abbey You will find gravestones of Ben Johnson in the north aisle of the Westminster Abbey with the famous inscription, O'Rare, Ben Johnson Apart from authors and poets, some actors and clergymen are also buried here along with the very famous musician, George Frederick Handel By the way, talking about the famous British legends we cannot miss out the ones who have contributed immensely into the world of science Isaac Newton, Stephen Hawkins and Charles Darwin are some of those names that will catch your attention in the scientist corner at the Westminster Abbey These scientists were who were buried here made incredible contribution to our understanding of the world around us You might wonder why Charles Darwin was buried here He must be an atheist as through his work Evolution of Species, he made people question God but not a lot of people know that he was a firm believer in God and early in his life he was getting himself trained to get ordained But it was his daughter's death that actually led him to question his own faith Another great person that you will find in the graves is Robert Stevenson He was known as the greatest engineer of the 19th century He is buried in the central part of the scientist corner Comment below if you know what this guy's famous were The most famous monument that you will find in the scientist corner of the Westminster Abbey is that of Sir Isaac Newton The famous scientist who was also part of the Royal Society in 1972 By the way, you just see net aspirants comment below if you know all other British writers were a part of Royal Society Talking about Sir Isaac Newton When he was a graduate of Cambridge University the monument shows Newton resting on four of his famous works Divinity, Chronology, Optics and Principia Mathematica There is also a globe over him with the zodiacal sign graved on it and an allegory of astronomy sitting on top of it In the middle of the picture you will also see a representation of the heliocentric universe where you have Sun on the left and then all the other planets on the right will Saturn because at that time the planets before Saturn were not discovery People did not know that there were Uranus and Neptune also existing in the solar system You will also find image of a reflexive telescope that was invented by this genius There is also a furnace representing his inclination towards alchemy and a collection of coins that depict that he was the master of the Royal Mint That means that he was printing money for the country With that note, we end our tour of the Westminster Abbey which is indeed a textbook in stone of the British history and that is the reason why it is a highly popular tourist attraction If you like this video, then please share your love in the comment section below and do let me know what did you think about the video That's it from my side for this video lecture I will meet you very soon in the next video lecture Till the time we meet next, happy learning, keep loving literature and stay tuned to arpidakarwa.com