Westminster Abbey's secrets in the attic to go on display

Maev Kennedy


The triforium of Westminster Abbey has never been open to the public, and the only access to the upper gallery area is via a narrow wooden spiral staircase, from a small arched door marked “private” in Poets’ Corner. For years, it has been little more than a shadowy area dimly visible totourists from the church floor 21 metres (70ft) below.

But now a chore familiar to many householders – though on a more spectacular scale – will see the triforium being prepared for visitors, as the contents of one of the grandest attics in England are packed up, labelled and sorted for storage before the builders come in.

The abbey’s secret upper realm, part of its 13th-century remodelling by Henry III, is being transformed at a cost of £19m. A discreet new tower – the first to be added to the building in almost 300 years – will be built next year. It will also hold a lift and a staircase, giving spectacular views of the abbey buildings and the neighbouring Palace of Westminster.


http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2015/apr/28/westminster-abbeys-secrets-to-go-on-display