Weston Tower, Westminster Abbey

Weston Tower is the first tower in 300 years to be built at Westminster Abbey and is the latest addition to the ancient church. Opening this June, the structure will form the main entrance to the new Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, located in the triforium.

Designed by the abbey’s Surveyor of Fabric, Ptolemy Dean, the significant construction provides visitors with access to the attic level where a rich collection of treasures will be on display.

Surprisingly unobtrusive the Weston Tower’s neo-gothic style blends discreetly with the existing architecture of the abbey. Nestled between the exterior of the sixteenth-century lady chapel and a flying buttress, which supports the thirteenth-century chapter house, the 80-foot-high

structure is built from glass, lead, steel, wood and stone combining both old and new materials.

The design of the tower is based on a star-shape formed by two overlapping rotating squares, a pattern which is prevalent throughout the church. Dean rejected modern machine-made glass for the 12,000 panes needed for the construction and instead chose leaded panes decorated with tracery, encouraging the work of skilled craftsmen for this project.

Visitors can choose whether to go up the tower via a lift or climb the spiral staircase where exclusive views of the Palace of Westminster can be enjoyed as well as observing some of the abbey’s architectural features in close detail, such as the gargoyles, which are often hard to see.

An extension which is in harmony with the symbolic and historic site which dates back to 960AD the Weston Tower enables an otherwise hidden realm of the abbey to be explored.

The Weston Tower is named in honour of the generous funding given by The Garfield Weston Foundation towards the development of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries.

For opening times and ticket information see the Westminster Abbey website.