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Westminster Abbey: everything you wanted to know

Westminster Abbey: everything you wanted to know

David Carpenter answers listener questions on the history of Westminster Abbey, which has hosted royal coronations since the Middle Ages

Professor David Carpenter

Published: April 30, 2023 at 7:13 AM

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Westminster Abbey has hosted royal coronations since the medieval period, and the next monarch to be crowned there will be King Charles III. In our latest Everything You Want to Know episode, David Musgrove speaks to Professor David Carpenter (who grew up in the abbey) to answer listener questions on the lengthy history of this iconic building – from marvellous medieval acoustics to the destruction of its brightly coloured art.

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Read more | Why are British monarchs traditionally crowned in Westminster Abbey?
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Authors

Professor David CarpenterProfessor of medieval history

David Carpenter is a leading historian of Britain in the central Middle Ages and professor of medieval history at Kings College London. His father was former dean of Westminster Abbey. His books include Henry III: The Rise to Power and Personal Rule, 1207–1258 (Yale University Press, May 2023), which fully covers the final consecration of Henry's abbey in 1269.