The monarch has seen the plans for the ‘major’ project, that will allow visitors to follow in the footsteps of kings and queens
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Westminster Abbey is to construct a new building in the King’s honour.
The monarch has seen the plans for the “major” new project, that will allow all visitors to follow in the footsteps of Kings, Queens and royal brides by entering via the Great West Door.
The grand entrance was used by Charles and Camilla as they arrived for their coronation last May and by the then Catherine Middleton when she entered the Abbey, on the arm of her father, for her marriage to Prince William in April 2011.
The state-of-the-art, L-shaped building will adjoin the north side of the Abbey and will house welcome, ticketing and security facilities.
It is not yet known whether it will be named after the King.
Improve visitor experience
It is hoped that the more “prestigious” entrance will improve the visitor experience, offering an immediate view of the Nave on arrival.
Current visitors enter via the Great North Door, which insiders admit can feel like a side entrance.
The new building will also allow “visitor infrastructure” to be cleared from the church, freeing up more than 10 per cent of the Abbey’s floor and allowing several historic monuments which are currently obscured to become visible.
Planning permission was granted before the coronavirus pandemic but the works were put on hold. It is hoped the building will be completed by 2026.
: SvetlanaSF
The Abbey’s Dean, the Very Rev Dr David Hoyle revealed following his investiture at Windsor Castle on Tuesday that it would be built in the King’s honour.
He said: “We have already done the archaeology, so the site is prepared. We have plans which the King has seen.
“We hope we might have it built in the next two to three years.”
Gothic architecture
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