The Monuments of Westminster Abbey

Power and Memory in Early Modern Britain

This is the first critical history of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century monuments of Westminster Abbey.

This is the first critical history of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century monuments of Westminster Abbey. It explains how the Abbey was transformed from a monastery with royal tombs into one of the most popular sites of commemoration in early modern Europe. It shows the extraordinary impact of the Reformation and the civil wars on the monuments at Westminster Abbey. The book includes accounts of the royal tombs, Poets Corner, and monuments to soldiers and sailors. The book illustrates how tourism grew and how the Abbey and others responded by erecting signs, providing tour guides, and publishing guide books, which made visiting the monuments one of the most popular amusements in London.

This book is essential reading for anyone who has visited Westminster Abbey, is fascin