American Reacts to The Incredible Tombs Of Westminster Abbey

In this video I react to the tombs of Westminster Abbey in London, England. I've never seen anywhere with so many amazing tombs and statues. Westminster Abbey truly is like a living memorial to some of the greatest people in history. It's incredible that a place like this exists where around every single corner, from floor to ceiling, you'll find some of the most beautiful architecture and artistry known to man.
Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this reaction please give this video a thumbs up, share your thoughts in the comments and click the subscribe button to follow my journey to learn about my British and Irish ancestry.
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[@lyndarichardson4744]

Steve, I'm glad you enjoyed this video. I really appreciate your interest in Britain and British history.

[@tedroper9195]

I think the main Cathedral of the Anglican Church of England is Canterbury (circ. 597AD)

[@malopephasha5341]

Yeah I Think It Is Canterbury Cathedral

[@MrBulky992]

True but Westminster Abbey, like St George's Chapel, Windsor, is a royal peculiar: it does not fall under any bishop or archbishop - it is directly under the monarch (the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, as are all the bishops). It is not under the Archbishop of Canterbury.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Yes, Canterbury is the seat of the Primate of All England. The other archiepiscopal see in England is York.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

@@MrBulky992 In addition to the Abbey, St George's Windsor, and the Chapel Royal at St James, there are a few other royal peculiars. Included among these are: The Chapels Royal at Hampton Court and at Holyrood (Edinburgh), St Edward's in Cambridge, the crypt of St Stephen's Westminster, the Temple Church off Fleet Street in London, the King's Chapel of the Savoy off the Strand in London, and St Peter's in the Tower of London. There are also six Chapels outside the UK, with two in Canada.

[@lynwratten9857]

It's incredible when you think that Edward the Confessor was buried at Westminster Abbey in 1066 and the last Royal burial was George II in 1760 that covers 700 years.

[@Addsy]

To give it its official name...The Collegiate Church of St Peter in the West (Westminster) comes under the jurisdiction of the Crown and not the Church of England, the Primary Church of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion globally is Canterbury Cathedral which is probably twice the size of Westminster Abbey.👍

[@Wheelchairuser90]

I’m finding your reactions charming. Just imagine… Westminster Abby was built 1100 years before America was even discovered!!

[@jackyc1054]

It was known by the Native Americans

[@ninqueso]

Love how people just forget that there were people living in America for some 30,000 years before it was “discovered”

[@markrichmond7971]

The chap in the light blue shirt is Dan Snow, who is a British popular historian and tv presenter of history. His father is a retired but a well known tv news presenter in the UK. Dan, is in fact, very well connected as he is married to Lady Edwina Grosvenor, daughter of the late Duke of Westminster. Her brother Hugh is now the 7th Duke of Westminster, who is god father to Prince George of Wales (The Prince and Princess of Wales’ first born). If you keep a close eye on official royal events you may just see him in the throngs of invited guests!

[@judithmitchell9065]

As a Brit, I visited Westminster Abbey on a school trip as a child. The history, grandeur and architecture was wasted on me then - I've since become interested in history, especially social history. Any programme fronted by Dan Snow is going to be fascinating - he's not only a great historian but presents things so wonderfully. If you're interested in history, Steve, I recommend you check out more of his videos.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks Judith. I completely understand how you feel. As a kid I had no interest in history, but now I find this type of stuff fascinating.

[@brendagore1115]

The High Church of England is Anglo- Catholic it was Henry 8th that changed it as he wanted to change it. Catholic do not divorce in them days he had several lives. church of England is Anglican, sometimes called lower church

[@Carole.P]

I agree, my parents took us all over England in the 70’s, every ruin, cathedral and landmark you can imagine. I really didn’t appreciate it as a child. We had school trips to Stonehenge, when you were allowed to climb on the stones. Now I’m all grown up 👀 I really do appreciate visiting places such as Westminster and the like 🌈

[@garythomas4877]

@@brendagore1115 lower church ??? You for real. Here in UK Anglican church is the top dog n this is coming from a non believer so i cant be judged as bias.

[@Paula-dl9ky]

@@reactingtomyroots Church of England is like ANGLICAN in USA ....... Henry VIII (8th) Kicked out the Catholic Religion (because he wanted a divorce and the Catholic Church does not do divorce) and created the Church of England .... No tombs have been opened in modern times .... I don't think any have ever been opened ... When you visit London a visit to THE TOWER OF LONDON IS A MUST ..Paula UK x

[@artasium1]

Check out finding king richards' body under a car park in Leicester a few years ago.

[@billydonaldson6483]

Dan Snow the man being shown around does some extremely good historical tv programmes. His battlefield tours are really good.

[@deeboneham2738]

He and the History Hits team are awesome

[@suewilkinson9518]

He's married to Lady Edwina Grosvenor the daughter of the Duke of Westminister. The family still own a large part of London and Westminister

[@marylou807]

I so enjoyed this tour. WOW! Imagine that level of craftsmanship using the tools they had.

[@PaulB-yb8tw]

Steve, it's great to follow your journey and also to learn new things about my own country.

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks for coming along with me Paul. It really makes me happy that people are learning new things as well.

[@bonand007]

Steve, great video and reaction. Your interest in this centre of British history is well received by us Brits. Thanks for airing this.

[@twinkletoes8099]

I love this place and I love St Pauls Cathedral. I remember sitting on the steps of St Pauls eating sandwiches with my siblings and mum way back in the day. I love our history and our buildings where our ancesters also visited and we can walk in their footsteps and see and touch the history of our own families within these places.

[@DruncanUK]

Hey Steve, have you ever heard of the mystery surrounding the remains of King Richard III? This captivating video takes you on a journey to uncover the truth about what happened to the last Plantagenet king. From the search for his lost gravesite to the discovery of his remains, this video is packed with stunning insights and exciting twists. #RichardIII #KingInTheCarPark #HistoryDetective "The Luckiest Dig In Archaeological History" by SideProjects (Whole of above post was written by ChatGPT - Lol)

[@MrBulky992]

If they are his remains! The findings are now being challenged by another group of experts!

[@Dave.Thatcher1]

@Kieth Buley......The skeleton had the affliction he had (scoliosis), and they were DNA tested and compared to a known distant relative to that particular Royal lineage who lives in Canada, and were found to be a match.

[@MrBulky992]

@@Dave.Thatcher1 Don't tell *me* : tell these "experts"! I believe it was mitochondrial DNA which provided the only match but such matches are common. I have huge numbers of matches on mine. Less common is a match on Y-chromosome DNA: Richard did not match at all on this criterion. Clearly the bones are not genetically related the way they should have been: either the bones or the modern sample were to blame. Richard is too far back in terms of generations for a match on autosomal DNA with the modern population to mean anything. Yes, he did have scoliosis. I have it myself (plus glenoid dysplasia and spina bifida occulta) but I am not Richard III. I think scoliosis is not that uncommon. I have an open mind: I am just disappointed about the Y-DNA result. I think the sceptics may simply be saying that the % probability of its being Richard is lower than claimed but still high.

[@MrBulky992]

@@Dave.Thatcher1 If we could get DNA from the body of George, Duke of Clarence, Richard's brother, whose tomb is in Tewkesbury Abbey, we could have more certainty but not much hope of that.

[@derekdelboytrotter8881]

29:00 you can see on the pillar the Medal of Honor which was awarded to the Unknown Warrior by the Americans, The American Unknown Soldier was also awarded the Victoria Cross.

[@welshpete12]

What a nice idea !

[@greenspringy1]

Why don’t you come over on holiday, .?

[@greenspringy1]

There are tour guides , they will take you on tour

[@derekdelboytrotter8881]

@@greenspringy1 who are you talking to?

[@greenspringy1]

@@derekdelboytrotter8881 just a suggestion for the American guy , didn’t want to annoy anyone ..

[@annemariefleming]

Steve, Ben Jonson, poet and dramatist, was permitted to be buried in the Abbey because he didn't demand a full-size tomb...he asked for 18inches, so they buried him standing up.

[@jasmineteehee3612]

Hi Steve, yes you must watch the video on the unknown soldier grave it always makes me very emotional.

[@che71che]

Wow I'm learning a lot about my own history through your journey

[@helenbailey8419]

The man narrating the history has a wonderful voice.

[@mosthaunted2]

You're totally right about this man explaining about the Abbey, He seemed to know everything about it, That was really good to watch, Excellent video! 👍

[@martinconnors5195]

I love Westminster Abbey. The exterior is incredible the interior is exquisite

[@samgeller1967]

All built and handcrafted, centuries before electricity had even been discovered, The building is amazing

[@baf_mcnab3065]

Last time I read, there were around 3300 people 'buried' in the Abbey. Great video, thanks for watching and enjoying :)

[@Rudi.77]

I love the architecture & history

[@trevorlsheppard7906]

You should have look at the relatively modern Coventry Cathedral the old cathedral was bombed in the WW2 ,the new one wasn't built till the 1960s ,no architect was willing to take the project , it is impressive,and inspiring ,the ruins of the old cathedral are preserved nearby as a war memorial.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Yes it is. Coventry Cathedral sits alongside the ruins of the cathedral bombed by German planes in WW2 and is linked with the new Kaiser-Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche in Berlin, which is built alongside the old church which was destroyed by Allied planes during WW2. Benjamin Britten's famous War Requiem was premiered at both these churches in 1962.

[@Hill7219]

@@t.a.k.palfrey3882 maybe also react to a film about the Coventry Blitz and the rebuilding of the City (controversial).

[@nightowl5395]

@@Hill7219 yes, that would be interesting.... 🙂

[@gabbymcclymont3563]

St Paul's cathedral is amazing the Whispering gallery is awesome, it's a round room in the dome and if someone whispers into the wall a person on the opposite side can listen to the wall and hear what is said.

[@claregale9011]

I was christened C of E , I'm not at all religious I don't think a lot of people in Britain are anymore , such a beautiful building you will be walking round it saying wow at every turn . 🙂

[@smythharris2635]

Future generations will be religious, just not Christians.

[@harrystones2238]

@@smythharris2635 Yea, there's a lot of different religions here now! Love the diversity of faiths honestly. Plus lots of different denominations and Christian groups too so I expect that to rise later down the line honestly

[@johnkyle2877]

What you have to remember is we have such a long history.................a hell of a lot has been lost or forgotten!

[@marieparker3822]

Thanks for your great videos, Steve. I learn so much from them. Hope you make it to Britain in the near future!

[@helenbailey8419]

I agree and I live here

[@jonathangoll2918]

I would like to have seen more of the royal tombs, such as Henry VII. I'm glad you've already seen something about the mediaeval floor - which I think dates back to the 13th century. There may well be members of the Abbey staff who can give you a conducted tour.

[@stephenbesley3177]

You'll want to check out St. Pauls Cathedral also

[@wendykelly8551]

Love all your beanies.... .. a lot C of E churches do follow some of Catholic traditions this is classed as Abbey... but there's a lot of denominations in uk.... but also a lot of cathedrals etc in UK.. and there's plenty are amazing architecture.. St Paul's cathedral stunning inside too .. York minster, Southwell minster, Exeter cathedral... if you'd google all those mentioned you'd see stunning... there's so many different types going back hundreds of years... you'll see smaller versions of this type all over the country... apparently when Henry VIII broke away from Catholic Church in Rome.. he had built the C of E churches all over you can travel around uk and find some in extremely rural places with like 10 houses... Henry wanted no-one to be left out and to attend.... some churches have been put up for sale methodist C of E etc and turned into home's.. they too look stunning the stain glass window's beautiful..and tell a story all of them .. x

[@wendykelly8551]

@@bobbybigboyyes no British through and through..... yep you're right... I text to flipping quick and miss letters of and hardly check auto correct.... my mistake.. Xx

[@angelawalker8615]

You must view how they chose the unknown warrior, it's very interesting and moving.

[@nightowl5395]

Yes, good idea....I watched that myself recently and had no idea that it was such a planned, lengthy and formalised journey to his final resting place

[@angelawalker8615]

@@nightowl5395 I liked the idea that he is unknown because at the time family could pay their respects and think that could just be my Son, Brother,Dad, Uncle . He represented everyone as someone.💞

[@pamelatitterington2453]

Wonderful video Steve, i am so pleased you like my country

[@michael_177]

Canterbury Cathedral is what you'd call the "HQ" of the church of England

[@MrBulky992]

No it's not: the HQ is at Church House, adjacent to Westminster Abbey in London. The monarch is the earthly head (Supreme Governor) of the Church of England, not the Archbishop of Canterbury who is appointed by the monarch on advice from the Prime Minister.

[@michael_177]

@@MrBulky992 most semantic comment I've ever read.

[@MrBulky992]

@@michael_177 There's nothing semantic about it: it's a statement of fact. Also, when the Archbishop himself is doing any administering, it will almost certainly be at Lambeth Palace in London, not in Canterbury: he's just a diocesan bishop there, nothing more. The HQ is at Church House in London. "The Church House is the home of the headquarters of the Church of England, occupying the south end of Dean's Yard next to Westminster Abbey in London. Besides providing administrative offices for the Church Commissioners, the Archbishops' Council and the Church of England Pensions Board, and a chamber for the General Synod, the building also provided a meeting place for the Parliament of the United Kingdom during World War II, and for some of the organs of the newly formed United Nations afterwards, including the first meeting of the UN Security Council." Or are you operating on an alternative semantic definition of the word "headquarters"?

[@dave_h_8742]

YES the restored floor is beautiful and very old.

[@HXT_916]

I live an hour away from London. Westminster abbey is a special place

[@BarbaraGrosvenor]

One of the most strange stories involving the monarchy is the one surrounding Richard 111, who was found buried in a carpark he was only found in recent years.

[@mikewilson8513]

That was truly amazing, and the TV program that went with it is a must see. Also I loved the fact that York and Leicester came to blows over where Richards body would be intered. They asked the Queen to intervene ! She said dont bring me into this ! "Sort it out for yourselves !" Liecester rightly 'won' the honour of being Richards final resting place. Isnt our history just fascinating ?

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

For King Richard third you should type three capital letter i's to represent the Roman numeral for three ie King Richard III

[@BarbaraGrosvenor]

@@ElizabethDebbie24 thankyou for taking the time to tell me

[@bonnyvonny5182]

It is absolutely wonderful I have had the privilege to go there first with school and many times as an adult

[@Mondaysunday24]

You should come over and visit, if you haven’t already. Sure you’d love it over here. 🇬🇧

[@lindakirk698]

It was really nice to hear a commentary that didnt have loads of interruptions from you in the form of wows, who... what ..., where ..., when....

[@seedhillbruisermusic7939]

good video man, your interest in british and irish history is really cool.

[@Hoscitt]

Newton, Darwin, Dickens, The Unknown Warrior, .... amazing You look genuinely in awe at points in this vid, you deffo need to visit there when you get to the UK!

[@MrBulky992]

I liked "Bloody Mary" when I was young. It was the only time we were able to say "bloody" without getting a clip on the ear for swearing.

[@w0033944]

The analogue in the US to the C of E is the Episcopalians.

[@MrBulky992]

Both churches are members of the Anglican Communion, over which the Archbishop of Canterbury presides as first among equals.

[@juliarabbitts1595]

The Church of England still shows having to cope with Henry VIII’s wishes. That is the Sovereign is Head of the Church (it’s on our coins) but Henry liked bishops, and lots of the other stuff that went with being Catholic so all of that survived. What’s known as ‘high’ church is almost catholic without accepting the authority of the Pope; ‘low’ church is almost what many Americans would recognise as Protestant. Both and everything in between is included under the Church of England

[@marieparker3822]

Remembering that the established Church of Scotland is Calvinist (named after John Calvin of Geneva), most famous fundamentalist Calvinist being John Knox, who reduced Mary, Queen of Scots to tears, twice, and had a three-legged stool thrown at him by Jenny Geddes who was outraged at his sexist diatribe against women.

[@MrBulky992]

@@marieparker3822 A couple of corrections: there is no established church in Scotland: in the UK, only England has an established church. The Church of Scotland is, however, legally protected from interference by the monarch. Secondly, Jenny Geddes did not throw her stool at John Knox: on the contrary, Jenny Geddes's stool was thrown long, long after John Knox's and Mary Queen of Scots' deaths, in a different century and at the minister of St Giles' in Edinburgh who was following the instructions of the King (Charles I) to introduce the Book of Common Prayer into Scots' worship in 1637. Her action led to the signing of the National Covenant the following year and the Bishops' Wars which preceded the English Civil War, all of which formed part of the "War of Three Kingdoms". Calvinist presbyterianism finally replaced episcopalianism in the Church of Scotland shortly after the accession of William III and Mary II, not least because the Scottish bishops were "non-jurors" (refused to break their oath to James VII), and the bishops were expelled from the church and eventually became the Scottish Episcopal Church (from whom the Episcopal Church in the USA are descended).

[@ballantynemoyes8019]

I think that Canterbury Cathedral could certainly be considered the "headquarters of the Church of England". It's the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is Primate of All England and appoints all the bishops in the C of E. Whilst Westminster Abbey has the distinction of being where the monarch is crowned and is full of beautiful sights, it's only one of many stunning religious buildings in England. York Minster (the seat of the Archbishop of York, Primate of England), Salisbury Cathedral, Lincoln Cathedral, Durham, St Pauls, Wells..... the list is almost endless. Thanks for posting.

[@WJS774]

The monarch is the head of the church though, outranking the Archbishop of Canterbury. Westminster Abbey is basically the monarch's cathedral.

[@claregale9011]

Definately look into sailsbury , Canterbury and yorkminster , all Amazing buildings . 🙂

[@sarahcullen9148]

I don't know if it is done in the same way now but years ago on Remembrance Day (November 11) the service at the abbey was attended by the Queen and members of the Royal Family and the public. Military Banners hung from above and everyone stood filling the nave. As the service progressed, thousands of red poppies would drift down from the ceiling and by the time it was finished, the Queen and the congregation were covered in them like red snow. It was so moving that watching it brought tears to your eyes.

[@dragonwalker4644]

The Unknown Warrior was buried in Westminster Abbey, London on the 11th of November 1920, simultaneously with a similar interment of a French unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in France. The coffin was interred in soil brought from each of the main battlefields, and covered with a silk pall. On the 17th of October 1921, the unknown warrior was given the United States' highest award for valour, the Medal of Honor. It hangs on a pillar close to the tomb. On the 11th of November 1921, the American Unknown Soldier was reciprocally awarded the Victoria Cross.

[@stephenwhite345]

You were all ears Steve, your best reaction so far, awesome

[@reactingtomyroots]

Thanks Stephen, I appreciate it.

[@odd-looking-dude]

Definitely check out a vid on the tomb of unknown warrior. Goosebumps!

[@sandrahilton3239]

There was a bad fire at Windsor Castle in 1992 and it has been rebuilt using the same techniques as the original. It took years and looks wonderful.

[@MrBulky992]

The authorities at the Abbey won't allow tombs to be opened. That's a pity as the bones of two boys found in the Tower of London have never been positively identified as the children of Edward IV.

[@fabshop6359]

With you on that one. The bones could be of anyone. The casket was opened in the 30’s, but science being as it was back then, it was impossible to make to come to any conclusion. You have to remember back in 1483, the Tower of London was like a small village, with children of all ages living there, and infant mortality was very high. So, the bones could be of any child.

[@Mark_Bickerton]

IIRC there were three contenders (Bodies) for the unknown soldier. To ensure the "Mystery" of who was buried there, they had three unidentified bodies and one was chosen at random, making it pretty much impossible for him to ever be identified. Remarkably the exact opposite of the Thiepval memorial in Northern France. So savaged was the land fought over, many men had no know remains to be buried. Thiepval (and it's NOT the only one) holds the names of 72,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who are known to have died, but nothing was found of them to bury. If and when remains are found and identified. Their names are removed from the memorial and they are given a proper plot with headstone, which is then looked after by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission! I have a great uncle with this name on the Thiepval Memorial. I took my mum there in 2016 ( 100 years after the battle of the Somme, where my great uncle was killed) We arrived late in the season and the car park was surrounded by small earthen mounds. Every one of them was covered by tiny wooden crosses with a red poppy in the middle. Each mound had many thousands and there were many mounds. This took me by surprise and I had to quickly hide behind a mound while I teared up and lost the power of speech for a while. The whole day was an amazing experience!

[@rogerdavis5914]

Britain has so much history

[@kaylucas51]

They are craftsmen takes years to perfect glad to say we still have some for restoration

[@chelseamewsbodycorporate9851]

Canterbury Cathedral is the 'head office' of the Anglican Church

[@MrBulky992]

No, it's not. The HQ of the Church of England is at Church House, adjacent to Westminster Abbey. Canterbury Cathedral is merely the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury who is not head of the Church of England as some suppose - the monarch is the earthly head, the Supreme Governor - and the Archbishop is merely an appointee of the monarch (on advice from the Prime Minister).

[@elunedlaine8661]

The body of King Richard the 3rd was discovered under a car park. You may enjoy this YT vid - 'King Richard III The Burial of the King: Live Reburial | History Documentary | Reel Truth History'

[@mervinmannas7671]

Sir David was amazing to listen to and I ;earnt so much. The taller man is Dan Snow who has presented loads of programmes on history for the BBC, He is an ex Oxford blue and 3 times captain of a boat race crew. Bith his father and Uncle are/were in television and he is married I believe to the sister of the Duke of Westminster

[@gallowglass2630]

Gerrard Manley hopkins is commemorated there but he is burried in glasnevin cemetery in ireland as he was a catholic convert and priest who served in ireland.

[@amandalewis3898]

Great video 😊

[@ElizabethDebbie24]

HI STEVE DEBRA HERE FROM SOUTH WALES UK THERE ARE OVER 3,000 PEOPLE INTERRED IN WESTMINSTER ABBEY.

[@brendagore1115]

When you see it in person, it is even more beautiful

[@mikewilson8513]

The head church of The Church of England would be Canterbury Catherdral. (I think) Also we have the Great and the Good buried in St Pauls. Nelson and Wellington, just two of our greatest hero's interned there. A visit is a must. Opening these tombs is a no no. Dont forget, these are peoples graves, regardless of their stature. That must be respected.

[@elizabethchapman9523]

Yes Mike Canterbury Cathedral is the head Church of England.

[@mikewilson8513]

@@elizabethchapman9523 Thanks

[@carlena4300]

If/when you visit London you can get two for one tickets if you take the train from the airport to the city through days out guide. Westminster Abbey is included in the offer.

[@SevCaswell]

The HQ of the Church of England is Canterbury, under the Monarch the Archbishop of Canterbury is the Head of the Church of England.

[@annlindsaywright3169]

Alan Barton Antiquary has done a video on the opening of some of the tombs in Westminster Abbey.

[@tomplant748]

Allan Barton has some interesting videos on royal burials if your intrested

[@juliajoyce4535]

Yes, his channel is very informative and very interesting to me, my teenage daughter yawns when I’m watching his videos 😂

[@raystewart3648]

Trouble with to days construction is that (time is money). They have to build faster which equals to cheaper materials. Also modern builds uses fast response machines (no eye to hand contact at all) and all this can be seen in younger countries, like Australia, Canada and America.

[@mickaustin7251]

Richard 3rds body was found in a leicester car park in 2012

[@CollieDog24]

The Chapel that pays homage to the Battle of Britain is in Westminster Abbey,and if you spot my comments look up the name BILLY FISKE.I,m not sure whether he is buried in St Paul's cathedral or he is comemorated in the cathedral,but he was a man who was an anti nazi and free world advocate and decided to talk his way into the RAF and fight against the Germans.During combat,he was shot up landed back at base but died after pòst operative shock.He was liked by his fellow pilots,not a show off ! Sadly missed and a very brave man.

[@hempsellastro]

I was brought up in Hatfield and very familiar with St Etheldreda’s the Parish church. Lord Salisbury’s tomb is a copy of the one the Westminster (or the other way round). It is alongside a larger recumbent tomb of Robert Ceil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, Queen Elizabeth’s Secretary of State. An earlier Prime Minister William Lamb, Viscount Melbourne, is also buried there.

[@Jim-McKechnie]

Recently spoke to gentleman who was 18 years old in 1952 and was in the navy and was one of the men pulling the gun carriage at George vi funeral, he spotted himself in the old newsreel footage, I love history like that as I grew up near one of the farms the Clydesdale horse was bred from it has a walkway between two buildings locally called “princes street” on the farm… George vi’s grandfather Edward vii who was prince of wales at the time in 1878 granted a royal charter to the breeder and rode the stallion they named Prince of Wales and where he took the horse was called Princes street lol hearing that story growing up hooked me on royal history here in Scotland

[@philjames9076]

hi steve great show mate from london england 🙂

[@danielferguson3784]

The Church of England is a Protestant church, created by King Henry 8th when he fell out with the Pope who would not grant him a divorce. the English Church continued many Catholic traditions, but gradually dropped Latin, & the Mass became Holy Communion, & things became more Protestant over time. The practice in each Parish can vary between very near Catholic & quite simple rites. These are often styled High (neo-catholic) & Low (simple) Church. The Church of England is run by Bishops in each area, under the two Archbishops of Canterbury & York, with the person first in one of these two positions reckoned as the senior. Generally the Archbishop of Canterbury is seen as the top man, in fact as head of all Anglican churches in the world. This is because St Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory in 698AD to re-establish the Church in the two greatest cities of former Roman Britannia , Londinium (London) & Eboracum (York) & make the Bishops their heads of the church. Augustine could not access London, as it was in enemy territory to the Kingdom of Kent, so he had to substitute Canterbury instead, as the King of Kent's capital. So the Archbishop of Canterbury remains one of the two Archbishops to this day, & Canterbury catherdal is the Senior church of England. However this Archbishop's main residence is at Lambeth Palace, across the river from Westminster, as London is more important (though there is another Bishop of London). Westminster Abbey is a special Royal church, as is was built by King's Palace at Westminster originally for Edward the Confessor before 1066 AD.

[@robholloway6829]

No, Canterbury Cathedral is the "headquarters" of the Church of England. The CofE is both catholic (small c) and reformed. The CofE retains a lot of the hierarchy and tradition of the Roman Catholic church, but observes the canon of Protestantism.

[@eileenagnewe5134]

Medieval Cathedrals were very colourful places and did not look like they are today. If you look at Saint Chapelle in Paris you get an idea of how painted and colourful they once were.

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

The headquarters of the Church of England is Canterbury Cathedral, but Westminster Abbey - being in London - is almost as central to it. As far as the tombs are concerned, it has many of Britain's most famous people in it. The other really important resting place in London is Highgate Cemetery in the north of the city, which contains the tombs of many more famous Brits. It's like Paris's Père Lachaise Cemetery. If you're famous, you're likely to end up there.

[@MrBulky992]

Canterbury Cathedral is not the HQ of the Church of England. That is in London at Church House in Westminster, not so very far from the Archbishop of Canterbury's own centre of operations at Lambeth Palace (not Canterbury).

[@jamesdignanmusic2765]

@@MrBulky992 apologies, you're right.

[@HarryFlashmanVC]

So, when you ate buried in a church you can either be buried under the flagstones, or, in a big church like Westminster Abbey your remains might be in the crypt of the Church whilst a memorial slab is placed in the church. When the crypt at St Andrews, Holborn, London was emptied in 1998 there were an estimated remains of 30,000 people. Mostly bones obviously, boxed up and buried at one of the large necropolis out of London. They had to empty the crypt to carry out some.building works. The crypt dated from the 13th C, the church was built in the late 1600s after the Great Fire of London

[@nickmontague8936]

3,000 people Over 3,000 people are buried at Westminster Abbey - many forgotten by history - but it remains the final resting place for celebrated Britons. Others who are not buried there are honoured with commemorative plaques

[@sarahcullen9148]

Around 3,330 people are buried at the abbey, among them some of the great figures of British history. They include Charles Dickens, Geoffrey Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Rudyard Kipling, Alfred Tennyson, Henry Purcell, William Wilberforce, Laurence Olivier, Thomas Hardy and eight prime ministers Etc. etc. Sir Isaac Newton is buried here and his tomb is magnificent

[@eddiec1961]

Steve I think you have found a good video showing things in more detail than the last one I hope you don't think people are buried in the walls.

[@Badgersj]

Thank you very much for putting this up. Sir David Cannadine would never make it past the TV presenter nazi panel - not enough blond curly hair etc, but he is utterly fascinating isn't he? And makes his subject utterly fascinating.

[@dannylsmith3074]

Hi Steve I think you should check out London's other cathedral St Paul's and Windsor Castle and St George's Chapel

[@danielferguson3784]

Many tombs in the Abbey have been opened for different reasons over the years. Many were destroyed by Protestant fanatics during the Reformation in the 16th-17th centuries. The bones were often scattered & lost. Some have since been found & placed in wooden chests, but they have not been tested, in fact they are not allowed to be touched. The tomb statues have sometimes been moved, so they will no longer contain the actual remains of the person they represent. The statues mark that the person may be buried nearby, not necessarily close to the figure or monument itself, & some are buried now-where near Westminster. Edward Confessor's tomb was opened & the Crown & sceptre taken from it to use after the other Crown jewels were lost, so St Edward's Crown was used fore centuries until this was destroyed by Parliamentarians after the 17th century Civil Wars. The Church of England inherited many former Catholic churches throughout the country, though most Abbeys & their churches were destroyed some were kept for use as Parish churches. Most were simplified with stain glass windows, religious wall paintings, & statues etc being destroyed, but some managed to lessen this through the protection of important persons. Westminster Abbey was fortunate because Cromwell used it. He was crowned there as 'Lord Protector' (King) 7 he was buried there just like a King. When the next real King came back Cromwell's tomb was destroyed & his corpse was removed & punished.

[@vallee3140]

wow

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

The Church of England is part of the worldwide Anglican Church, which defines itself as both Protestant (because it protested against the authority of the Pope) and Catholic (though not Roman Catholic) because its priests are ordained in the Apostolic Succession (going back to St Peter) and has the same seven sacraments as the Roman Church has. There are about 100 million Anglicans in over 100 countries, making it the biggest western Christian church after the Roman Catholics. Your National Cathedral in Washington is an Anglican (known as Episcopalian in US) church. 11 US presidents have been Anglican, from Washington to FDR, Ford, and GHW Bush.

[@archiebald4717]

Over 3,000 people are buried in Westminster Abbey, including 30 kings and queens.

[@uppyraptor49]

I recommend you watch the RAF red arrows, they toured america a few years ago

[@beverlytaff4914]

The headquarters of the C of E would more properly be recognised as Cantebury Cathedral because the Archbishop of Cantebury has his seat there.

[@lincliff663]

Canterbury Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Anglican religion with the Archbishop of Canterbury (the most senior Minister of the C of E) at the helm and the British Monarch as the Head of the Church of England. Westminster Abbey is the Coronation Church and has been the site of most Coronations and Royal weddings for centuries. England was once a (mostly) Catholic country but when Henry VIII wanted to divorce his first wife (Catherine of Aragon) he was unable to get permission because the Catholic church was anti-divorce. Henry then 'introduced' the Church of England of which he made himself Head in order to be able to divorce Catherine & enable him to marry Anne Boleyn.

[@J1mmyMack]

You've got such a nice voice. You should do audiobooks 😅

[@elizabethchapman9523]

Yes. I think it is their Ashes and bodies. Thomas Hardy the great 19thC poet and novelist is buried here, but his heart is buried in Dorset his beloved Dorset in Stinsfield graveyard in his first wives grave.

[@eileenagnewe5134]

If you look at Liverpool Anglican cathedral it is a twentieth century building built very much in the gothic style.

[@barbaradyson6951]

You should try ELY CATHEDRAL, it was started in 693 AD.

[@ninamoores]

There is also a Westminster Cathedral in London which is a Catholic Church.

[@johnkyle2877]

Part of a Documentary.....peter Snow is an Historian....you will and can see his him on KZbin!

[@carolineskipper6976]

As a number of tombs in Westminster Abbey are those of monarchs, it reminded me of one who notably isn't- Richard III, who was the last 'medieval' monarch, killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. His body was buried in nearby Leicester in a Friary that was later destroyed and its location pretty much obscured by later buildings. He was eventually found and retrieved in 2012 under a local authority staff carpark. A (very brief) summary of his story and the dicovery can be found here, entitled "The Luckiest Dig In Archeology" . kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXnNXquwf6iXf80. I would recommend you give it a whirl.

[@sandrahilton3239]

if you tour the Abbey, you can hire a recorder on which there is a tour in several languages. Its well worth paying for.

[@eileengoehring6080]

Watch Dan Snow tour around Red Sands Fort in the Thames Estuary !!!!