Westminster Abbey: Behind Closed Doors
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44:57Christmas is the Abbey's most intense time of year, and the season kicks off with Advent. Relative newbie, Minor Canon Bob oversees this dramatic service, which involves multiple candles held aloft that represent the light of Christ coming into the world. Music is a vital part of the DNA of the Abbey. Under the close eye o...
43:06In an ever-changing modern world, the Abbey remains the one constant. With the recent changes in the monarchy and parliament, how does the Abbey remain an evolving but reliable presence for the masses?
43:36An abbey for all! Upstairs the Abbey bell ringers are poised to ring for the Queen's birthday, nerves are brewing, an intrigued crowd is gathering outside to listen. Part of Heritage Cleaner Vittoria's job is to care for the tomb of a single unidentified soldier, killed on the Western Front during the first world war. The ...
43:19It's Holy week at Westminster Abbey and prep has begun for the most important week in the Christian calendar. Kicking off Easter week is the Abbey's very own choir school, who over history have sung in Easter services for at least 450 years. It's down to music director James O'Donnell to get the choir into perfect tune.
43:18With the Abbey hosting memorials of national importance, it's crucial that its ancient structure is in tip top shape. Clerk of the works Ian Bartlett puts the finishing touches to a serious problem on the roof. Pulling the short straw, his deputy Iain McDonald carries out a survey of the Abbey's iconic Hawksmoor towers, me...
43:27It costs 24 million pounds a year to run and maintain Westminster Abbey. The Abbey's status as a Royal Peculiar means that it relies almost entirely on the money it makes from selling tickets to tourists. However, the Covid pandemic forced the Abbey to shut its doors for the first time in 70 years, creating a major financi...