Westminster Abbey Books

This 24 page publication takes an in-depth look at the Tomb of the 'Unknown Warrior' at Westminster Abbey. Written by James Wilkinson, it looks at the idea behind the Unknown Soldier, the selection of the deceased, the journey of the coffin and the...

Westminster Abbey has many identities – as a place of worship, theatre of state, resting place of kings and memorial to statesmen and poets. The internationally acclaimed artist Alexander Creswell captures its many facets in this stunning set of...

Ground-breaking new studies of Henry V's chapel, tomb and funeral service have new revelations and insights into the time.Before Henry V set out in 1415 on the campaign which culminated in victory at Agincourt, he made a will laying down precise...

Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church have many connections with the United States of America, from Sir Walter Raleigh - buried in the second decade of the 17th century - to Martin Luther King Jr, whose statue stands above the Great West Door...

Westminster Abbey contains the only surviving medieval Cosmatesque mosaics outside Italy. They comprise: the ‘Great Pavement’ in the sanctuary; the pavement around the shrine of Edward the Confessor; the saint’s tomb and shrine; Henry III’s tomb; the...

Most of us think that theology is what you do if you haven't got a life. At best, we think it needs to be practical to be of any use. But theology is in fact all about life and how we live it as God's people. No matter how theology-phobic you feel, David...

Good governance is one of the UK’s fundamental values, and citizens are entitled to expect that public officials behave according to the highest ethical standards. This new Haus Curiosities volume, published in collaboration with Westminster Abbey...

Truth in Public Life explores the difficulty in defining truth, its critical importance in civilised society and the challenges and threats to telling the truth in different public service settings. Three leading experts reflect on subjects related to...

The Power of Civil Servants provides rich and informative observations about the nature of the Civil Service, its values and effectiveness, what threatens it and how it should continue to adapt to a changing world. David Normington and Peter Hennessy...

Letters from Lockdown comprises 12 weekly letters written by the Director of Westminster Abbey Institute during the Coronavirus lockdown, and three accompanying essays that give the deeply personal perspectives of a politician, a civil servant and a...

‘It was only two days after I arrived that I realised I had actually joined MI5. It did not exactly throw the doors wide and welcome scrutiny. The existence of the service was avowed but very little else about it was. Who worked for it? Where were its...

Journalism has the vital function to defend and promote truth in public discourse. And yet the news media has never been under so much pressure to move away from this critical role into more partial campaigns or commercial public relations. Here four of...