The Queen, accompanied by The Prince of Wales, will open The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries
Westminster Abbey
Friday 8th June 2018
Her Majesty The Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, will open The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey.
On arrival The Queen will be greeted by the Dean of Westminster Abbey, The Very Reverend Dr. John Hall. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will proceed to the Diamond Jubilee Galleries where they will meet a group of those involved in the restoration, including the Clerk of the Works and Surveyor of the Fabric.
Following a short ceremony, conducted by The Dean, The Queen and The Prince will undertake a tour of the Galleries. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness will view historical artefacts from the Abbey’s collection, including a restored Sir Christopher Wren model, an original 13th century altarpiece from King Henry III’s church and King Henry VII’s funeral effigy.
The Queen and The Prince will attend a brief reception for construction workers, supporters and Abbey staff involved in the project. Her Majesty will unveil a plaque before departing.
The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries will open to the public on 11th June 2018. The new galleries are set more than 16 metres above the Abbey’s floor in the medieval Triforium, an area that has never been open to the public before. Displaying 300 treasures from the Abbey’s Collection, many for the first time, the new galleries will reflect the Abbey’s thousand year history.
The Triforium has been transformed by London-based architecture practise, McInnes Usher
McKnight Architects. MUMA have designed a new addition that will allow the public to
deepen their understanding of a Royal church which has been at the centre of the nation for centuries.
Visitors will reach the Galleries through a new tower, housing a staircase and a lift. Named
the Weston Tower, this is the first major addition to the Abbey church since 1745. The
Galleries tell the story of Westminster Abbey in four themes: Building Westminster Abbey;
Worship and Daily Life; Westminster Abbey and the Monarchy; and The Abbey and National
memory.
The Prince of Wales visited The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries in 2016 to see the
restoration work in progress. During the visit His Royal Highness also unveiled the
foundation stone in the Weston Tower.
