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Inventory Site Record

Westminster Abbey Precincts - Great Cloister Garden, Little Cloister Garden (Westminster)

Brief Description

This part of Westminster Abbey is accessible to the visiting public. The Garth or Great Cloister Garden within the old monastic complex is the centrepiece to the fine gothic arcaded cloister and once contained a well. Surrounded by the cloisters, it now largely consists of an area of lawn, which has a diversity of grasses and wildflowers, including species uncommon in central London, and as such is a site of importance for nature conservation. The Little Cloister Garden dates from the C18th and is surrounded by fine metalwork gates and railings. The central area has a lawn bordered with shrubs with a central marble fountain set within a square of turf with stone border.

Practical Information
Site location:
Westminster (access from Westminster Abbey)
Postcode:
SW1
What 3 Words:
rests.feed.punks
Type of site:
Private Garden
Borough:
Westminster
Open to public?
Yes
Opening times:
visible to the public when Westminster Abbey is open: Tue, Wed & Thurs 10am-6pm (April-Sept) 10am-4pm (Oct-Mar)
Special conditions:
Facilities:
Events:
Public transport:
Tube: Westminster (District, Circle, Jubilee); St James's Park (District, Circle). Bus: 11, 24, 88, 148, 211, 3, 12, 53, 87, 159, 453
Research updated:
01/05/2012
Last minor changes:
14/07/2022

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/abbey-gardens

Full Site Description

Westminster Abbey and its precincts are probably on the site of an C8th Saxon church dedicated to St Peter built on what was then Thorney Island. There was later a Benedictine settlement here, which became a monastery by the C10th and soon gained royal support. The Danish King Cnut was the first monarch to build his palace by the monastery in the early C11th, and subsequently Edward the Confessor built both Westminster Abbey and his new Palace of Westminster (q.v.) on adjacent land, although he died just after the Abbey was completed in 1066. William the Conqueror also adopted the palace as a royal residence and was crowned at the Abbey. Westminster School originated as a small charity school provided by the abbey's Benedictine monks in c.1179. Following the Dissolution of the Monasteries the school's continuation was ensured by a statute of Henry VIII of 1540 and it was granted a charter by Elizabeth I in 1560. Although the monastery was dissolved in 1539, Westminster Abbey became the seat of a bishop in 1540 and was designated as a cathedral until Queen Mary was on the throne, when the old religion was restored and the abbey once again had an abbot, together with 15 monks. On Queen Elizabeth I's accession in 1558, a dean and prebendaries were put in place at Westminster Abbey. The Palace of Westminster had become the permanent seat of government in 1512 after Henry VIII moved his residence to the Palace of Whitehall.



This part of Westminster Abbey is run as a burgeoning tourist operation and is visible to the visiting public. The Garth or Great Cloister Garden within the old monastic complex is the centrepiece to the fine gothic arcaded cloister. It once contained a well, and now largely consists of an area of lawn surrounded by the cloisters; the lawn has a diversity of grasses and wildflowers, including species uncommon in central London, and as such is a site of importance for nature conservation. The Little Cloister Garden dates from the C18th; it is surrounded by fine metalwork gates and railings, the central area consisting of a lawn bordered with shrubs and has a central marble fountain set within a square of turf with stone border.

Sources consulted:

Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993), p.948; 'Nature Conservation in Westminster' (London Ecology Unit and WCC), 1997.

Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
Grid ref:
TQ301794 (530049,179469)
Size in hectares:
Site ownership:
Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey
Site management:
Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey
Date(s):
C18th (Little Cloister Gdn)
Designer(s):
Listed structures:
LBI: Westminster Abbey
On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No
Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No
Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:
No
In Conservation Area:
Yes
Conservation Area name:
Westminster Abbey & Parliament Square
Tree Preservation Order:
No
Nature Conservation Area:
Yes - Borough Importance I (Great Cloister Garden)
Green Belt:
No
Metropolitan Open Land:
No
Special Policy Area:
Yes - World Heritage Site: Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret's Church
Other LA designation:
Area of Special Archaeological Priority

Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.