Westminster Abbey is a favourite of tourists and features in every London guidebook, but there’s often little mention of the charming open spaces within the Abbey grounds.
The main cloister, which sits right up against the Abbey itself, is pretty featureless – it’s just a well-tended lawn. Venture a little further into the complex however and you’ll come across the charming Little Cloister – surrounded by some of the working offices of the Abbey it has a gentle fountain playing at its centre.
Turn a few more corners and you’ll find yourself at the entrance to the wonderful, expansive College Gardens. There’s a small herb garden next to the public entrance, and the gardens also contain many pleasant mature trees and herbaceous borders. Walk around the edge of the grassed area to the point opposite the main Abbey buildings and you’ll also discover a very modern fountain and, amongst the bushes behind it, a dramatic statue of the crucifixion by Italian sculptor Enzo Plazzotta.
The College Gardens are, oddly, only open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays but you can access them and the cloisters without having to go through Westminster Abbey itself by using the entrance on the corner of Dean’s Yard. Entering the complex through the main doors will of course incur the rather hefty entrance fee of £16 for individual adults… You can find the rest of the images I snapped here.
March 21, 2012 at 11:20 am
It looks like a lovely area to visit. I especially like the area with the modern fountain.
I like that modern war memorial in your photos too. I tried to comment there but couldn’t. I think for the longest time we didn’t recognise armed forces losses on account of the huge losses in the great wars.
Emm recently posted..The Highland Town of Aberfeldy
March 21, 2012 at 12:22 pm
The College Gardens are a very nice space – of course their peaceful nature is slightly spoiled by the hordes of tourists, but that’s unavoidable in Westminster Abbey. Emm, can you clarify what the problem was with the pictures? They’re hosted over on Google+ so that might be the problem…
March 21, 2012 at 9:42 pm
One of my favourite spots
Mo recently posted..An Alphabet of London
March 21, 2012 at 11:04 pm
They are lovely – I do like my really quiet places though, where you hardly even see a dog walker… I’m not telling
April 2, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Intriguing… I had no idea that these were there, which is surprising as they’re free! I’ve been meaning to visit the Abbey for years but just haven’t had the spare cash to justify the entry fee. I must make that extra effort this summer when I have a Japanese friend visiting. I often find I do long-overlooked ‘tourist’ attractions when I’m showing London off to foreigners.
These will be on my agenda for sure.
April 2, 2012 at 9:37 pm
Well if you’re like me I walk past mumbling “it’s for tourists” so I’m glad I made the discovery…