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November at Westminster Abbey
Each November we remember and reflect on Armistice Day. This year, as with every other year, this will be marked with the Field of Remembrance commemoration on the North Green and a special service on Remembrance Sunday.
November also sees us making preparation for the approach of Advent, the celebration of Christmas throughout December.
Read on to find out what’s happening at the Abbey in the month of November – we’re looking forward to welcoming you!
Autumn Season – Voice and Verse
Poets’ Corner is a literary pilgrimage like no other. Join us this season as we celebrate the power of words and stories penned by historic and emerging poets. Discover new ways of seeing the world through their captivating verses.
The following events are part of the Voice and Verse season.
Join us this November as we celebrate the power of words and stories penned by historic and emerging poets.
Event Title: Voice and Verse Bookshelf
Location: Cloister entrance
Date: 1st October – 30th November
Time: 9:30am – 3:30pm
Tickets: Included in the price of admission
Event Title: Voice and Verse Tour: Beyond Poets’ Corner
Location: The Abbey
Date: 12th October – 23rd November
Time: 12th October – 11:00am, 26th October – 1:30pm, 2nd November 1:30pm, 23rd November 11:00am
Tickets: £10.00
Event Title: Voice and Verse 15-Minute Talk: Poet’s Corner
Location: Poets’ Corner
Date: 5th November – 26th November
Time: 5th November – 11:15am and 2:15pm, 12th November – 11:15am and 2:15pm, 19th November – 11:15am and 2:15pm, 26th November – 11:15am
Tickets: Included in the price of admission
Event Title: Voice and Verse Readings: Remembrance
Location: The Nave
Date: 7th November
Time: 1:00pm – 3:15pm
Tickets: Included in the price of admission
Event Title: Lunchtime Talk: First World War Poets
Location: St Margaret’s Church
Date: 13th November
Time: 1:00pm – 1:50pm
Tickets: £5.00
Event Title: Voice and Verse Panel: Poets’ Corners Across the Pond
Location: Online
Date: 14th November
Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm
Tickets: Free (booking required)
Event Title: Voice and Verse Workshop: Strokes of Poetry
Location: Cheyneygates
Date: 23rd November
Time: 1:30pm – 4:00pm
Tickets: £25.00
Remembrance Tour
Location: The Abbey
Date: 4th November – 16th November
Time: 1:00pm
Tickets: £10.00
Join us for a tour around Westminster Abbey as we explore our links with the Armed Forces and discover how we observe Remembrance every year.
The Grave of the Unknown Warrior is one of the most famous remembrance memorials in the country. You can discover the journey of the Unknown Warrior to Westminster Abbey and how he came to rest here over 100 years ago.
But the Abbey’s connections to Remembrance stretch far beyond this grave’s border of poppies, with many other burials and memorials telling fascinating stories of lives affected by war and conflict.
Additional information and restrictions
There is a maximum of 15 people per tour.
This tour will meet in the North Transept inside the Abbey church.
Some of the areas you visit on this tour are stepped. Please consider this carefully when booking.
FIND OUT MORE AND BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
The Royal Signals Veteran: A Photographic Journey
Location: St Margaret’s Church
Date: 5th – 16th November
Time: 10:30am – 3:30pm
Tickets: Free (no booking required)
Explore an exhibition from the Royal Corps of Signals showcasing what it means to be a veteran today.
‘Veteran’ is a word that carries weight. Service, sacrifice, age… these expectations can form a mental image of someone who fits a certain stereotype.
The reality is very different. These photographs capture images of those who once served in the Royal Corps of Signals, the British Army’s communications, IT and cyber experts. Some, like the Yeoman Warder on duty at the Tower of London and the Chelsea Pensioner, probably match what many people envisage a ‘Veteran’ to look like. Others, such as the tattoo artist and the personal trainer, do not. The images show the diversity not just of our people, but of their talents. The one common thread is that they are trained to be communications experts, a skill that requires an understanding of effective human interaction, something that has carried on to their new lives after their service has ended.
Not only did each of the subjects once serve in the Royal Signals, but the photographs were all taken by serving and veteran members of the Corps. The images are displayed during Remembrance, a time when we not only take stock of the sacrifices that members of our Armed Forces have given in service to our country, but also appreciate the contribution of those veterans who served.
Meeting location
This event takes place in St Margaret’s Church, please follow main visitor entry route through the security check.
Access and security
On your arrival, your bag will be searched and we ask you not to bring any large items with you (for example suitcases, large backpacks or folding bicycles) as these will not be allowed inside and we are unable to store them for you.
Voice and Verse Song Recitals
Location: Poets’ Corner
Date: 7th & 14th November
Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Tickets: £20.00
Members of the Abbey Choir perform music inspired by the writers memorialised in Poets’ Corner at two special recitals this autumn.
Journeying on Thursday 7th November –
With music by Gurney, Vaughan Williams, Finzi and Britten
Remembrance on Thursday 14th November –
With music by Ireland, Wolf, Gurney, Finzi, Swayne, Somervell and Butterworth
Age suitability
This concert is suitable for children aged 6+.
All children must be accompanied by an adult throughout their time at the Abbey.
Timings
You are welcome to attend Evensong at 5.00pm before the recital.
Doors will open at 7.00pm and the recital will begin at 7.30pm. There will be no interval and the recital will end at 8.45pm.
Latecomers will be admitted but may not be able to occupy their seats until a suitable break in the performance.
Meeting location
Entry to the Abbey is via the Great West Doors.
Access and security
Please have your ticket ready to show our staff (either printed or on your mobile phone).
On your arrival, your bag will be searched and we ask you not to bring any large items with you (for example suitcases, large backpacks or folding bicycles) as these will not be allowed inside and we are unable to store them for you.
FIND OUT MORE AND BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
Field of Remembrance
Location: North Green
Date: 8th November – 17th November
Time: 8:30am – 6:00pm
Tickets: Free
Visit the field of scarlet poppies and memorials which will blanket the Abbey’s grounds this November to remember loved ones lost serving in the Armed Forces.
Now in its 96th year, the Field of Remembrance has been held every November since 1928 when The Poppy Factory brought a group of disabled veterans, a tray of poppies and a collecting tin to the grounds of St Margaret’s Church, Westminster Abbey.
Only a handful of poppies were planted around a single cross, but it began a tradition that has grown over the decades and now tens of thousands of poppies on wooden crosses and tributes are planted every year.
Entry times
Everyone is welcome to visit the Field of Remembrance at the following times:
- Thursday 7th November, 1:00pm until 6:00pm
- Daily from Friday 8th – Sunday 17th November, 8:30am until 6:00pm.
Entry is via the West Gate on the North Green.
Remembrance Sunday service
The annual Service of Commemoration and Thanksgiving will be held in the Abbey at 10:50am on Sunday 10th November. Find out more about worshipping with us.
Seminar: Making Deification Real – The Goal of Christian Life in Eastern Christianity
Location: Online
Date: 18th November
Time: 1:00pm – 2:00pm
Tickets: Free (booking required)
Join us for the next of this term’s online Koinonia seminars. Our November event will feature Paul Gavrilyuk, Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy in the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota.
About this seminar
For many Christians, deification (theosis) remains a puzzling concept. This talk will first explain what deification does and does not mean, and then connect deification with the goal of Christian life, namely, holiness. Far from being an exotic concept describing only rare mystical states, at its heart, deification is a promise and reality of the transformation of an ordinary and sinful human life by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
NOTE: This seminar was originally scheduled for Tuesday 12th November.
Booking information
Email rsvp@westminster-abbey.org to reserve a space.
Handel’s Messiah
Location: The Abbey
Date: 26th November
Time: 7:00pm – 9:30pm
Tickets: £15.00 – £57.00
Members of the Abbey Choir and celebrated soprano Anna Dennis, along with the renowned musicians of AAM, bring to life this sacred oratorio, one of the best known and most frequently performed works of choral music.
The Choir of Westminster Abbey and leading period-instrument orchestra Academy of Ancient Music herald the start of the Christmas season with a performance of Handel’s most famous oratorio.
FIND OUT MORE AND BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
DID YOU KNOW…?
Benjamin Fidoe was buried in the west cloister of Westminster Abbey on 20th November 1780. He was an Abbey verger from 1725 and in 1748 became butler and brewer to the College of Westminster and Clerk of Works to the Abbey until his death. His only relations seem to have been daughters of his deceased sister Mary (Heslop). The gravestone was re-cut in 1995 and reads:
Mr Benjn. Fidoe Clerk of the Works to this Collegiate Church. Died November 13 1780 aged 79 years
READ MORE ABOUT THE ABBEY’S HISTORY HERE
SHOP
Finish off your Christmas table with the perfect centrepiece: a candle from Westminster Abbey.
The candle features our exclusive design by Caroline Armstrong, depicting a Christmas tree outside Westminster Abbey at Christmastime.
- Measures: H15 x W7.5 x D7.5cm
FREE SUNDAY ORGAN RECITALS
Sundays throughout the year
Held on Sundays at 5.00pm, these popular 30-minute recitals are given by visiting and the Abbey’s own organists and feature a wide range of music to suit all tastes.
Admission is free, tickets are not required.
DAILY SERVICES
Westminster Abbey has been a place of worship since the tenth century and we still hold services every day.
Everyone is welcome to worship with us; services are free of charge and most do not require a ticket.
SUPPORT WESTMINSTER ABBEY
It costs over £14 million a year to maintain the Abbey, and we do not receive any funding from the Church, the Crown, or the Government. The drastic reduction to our income caused by the Covid pandemic is putting our priceless heritage at risk.
You can support the work of the Abbey, and preserve over 1,000 years of history, by becoming a member of the Abbey Association. From just £45, membership benefits include free entry to the Abbey and Galleries, exclusive member events and tours and discounts in our shops and the Cellarium Café and Terrace.
FIND OUT MORE AND BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
CORPORATE HOSPITALITY
Since our founding by Benedictine monks, hospitality has always been at the heart of the Abbey. We have held royal weddings, State Occasions, and every coronation since 1066.
You can now hire an historic space for your next corporate event.
Why not host a dinner or reception in one of our unique heritage spaces, set within the Abbey grounds – and offer your guests a private tour of the Abbey?
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