Abbey Secrets
![Scott Craddock, Head of Visitor Experience. Picture: Andrew Dunsmore 2014](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Scott-Craddock-Head-of-Visitor-Experience-scaled.jpg)
From a dazzling window by David Hockney to a sombre memorial for Nelson Mandela, Scott Craddock, head of visitor experience, picks out his defining images of Westminster Abbey
Britain’s Oldest door
It’s fascinating to have a door that dates back to the reign of Edward the Confessor, the monarch responsible for the first Abbey, built in 1065. The door has survived subsequent rebuilds all around it and the wood itself is even older! It is something so simple but a big talking point for everyone who sees it.
![Westminster Abbey Chapter House vestibule door, Anglo Saxon](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Britains-Oldest-Door-scaled.jpg)
The Queen’s window, by David Hockney
The newest window in the Abbey is possibly the boldest and most striking. It’s a very modern piece amidst a relatively ancient space. With the right light it shines a rainbow into the Abbey; a symbol of faith, hope and diversity.
![Light from The Queen's Window, July 2019. Picture: Andrew Campbell](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/David-Hockney-window-1-scaled.jpg)
Grave of the Unknown Warrior
There is something incredibly moving about the Grave of the Unknown Warrior; an unknown member of our armed forces buried amidst an Abbey full of monarchs and famous names. The only grave that is never walked on and one that represents those who were lost in conflicts, our loved ones who have no grave of their own
![Grave of the Unknown Warrior, after restoration and waxing](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Grave-of-the-Unknown-Warrior-289x300.jpg)
Nelson Mandela
The memorial service for Nelson Mandela at the Abbey in 2014 was my first service here. Having lived in Cape Town for some time I found it especially poignant, stirred by the sound of the Soweto Gospel Choir and the moving address by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. His memorial stone, laid in the Nave in 2018, is a permanent reminder of the change that Mandela helped bring.
![The Dedication of a Memorial Stone to Nelson Mandela, on the date of his 100th Birthday, 18th July 1918 - 5th December 2013, was held at Westminster Abbey, London. The dedication was led by led by The Dean of Westminster The Very Reverend Dr John Hall.,](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Nelson-Mandelas-stone-300x200.jpg)
View from the Galleries down through the abbey
We opened the Galleries in 2018, taking our visitor experience quite literally to another level. I love the Galleries space – it allows you to explore a large and varied collection of treasures, as well as to sit and contemplate. The view from the eastern end through the whole of the Abbey to the west is breath-taking.
![Westminster Abbey from triforium, looking West](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/View-from-Triforium-614x1024.jpg)
Lady Chapel ceiling
Stunning! The chapel is crammed full of incredible imagery and architecture. The words of a former Dean sum it up nicely ‘perpendicular gothic at its most exuberant’!
![Henry VII's Lady Chapel. Picture: Jim Dyson](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Lady-Chapel-Ceiling-300x194.jpg)
And a grave in the Cloisters to a plumber, Philip Clark
Philip Clark’s grave is a fitting reminder of all those who have worked at the Abbey, celebrating lives of people who made an important contribution to the work of the Abbey. There is a strong sense of community here and seeing memorials to former staff members makes me think of the work they undertook and the challenges they faced.
![Philip Clark grave](https://mayfairtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Philip-Clark-grave-scaled.jpg)