900 years

the long version

"Over the past nine centuries Westminster Abbey has experienced a process of change. Though its structure and contents have been transformed considerably since the first stones were laid at the time of its foundation by Edward the Confessor in the mid eleventh century, the overall design as well as the topography of river, palace and church are recognizably the same today. This loyalty to an established identity, together with essential repairs, changes of taste and of purpose - these are the key elements of the concept of 'Restoration' which this catalogue, and the exhibition it accompanies, celebrate."--BOOK JACKET. "The completion of the great programme of works, by which the Abbey has been renewed inside and out over the last three decades, is commemorated with this exhibition and the present, richly illustrated publication. The reader can here discover the complex story of the religious, political, social and aesthetic priorities of each age and thus bring to life the ever-changing and fascinating history of the most famous church in the land."--Jacket.