Westminster Abbey in London is one of the most recognisable Gothic churches in the United Kingdom. An architectural masterpiece of the 13th to 16th centuries, it presents a unique pageant of British history. 

It dates back to the 1040s when King Edward (later St Edward the Confessor) established his Royal Palace by the banks of the River Thames. Later, in the middle of the 13th century King Henry III decided to rebuild it in the new Gothic style of architecture. 

Since 1066, the Abbey has hosted every British monarch’s coronation, and is the final resting place for kings, queens, poets, musicians, scientists and politicians alike.

It contains over 600 monuments, and wall tablets – cited by the Abbey as the “most important collection of monumental sculpture anywhere in the country”. Because of this historical significance, in 1987 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, welcoming over one million visitors per year. 

Now, in 2026, a new building, to be named The King Charles III Sacristy, will be opened to house a state-of-the-art welcome, security and visitor services facilities. This will allow the Abbey itself to be made more accessible, and reimagined. It will also free up more than 10% of its current floorspace in a sustainable manner, without significant interventions or extensions.

The Sacristy will be built on the original footprint of Henry III’s medieval Great Sacristy – where monks kept vestments, altar linens and other artefacts needed for their daily worship, providing additional significance to the need for sensitive restoration.