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Person walking across Cosmati pavement in socks.

Public invited to walk on Westminster Abbey’s Cosmati pavement – in socks

Intricate mosaic floor where King Charles III will be crowned on 6 May will be opened to visitors this summer

Visitors to Westminster Abbey this summer will be invited to walk in their socks on its medieval Cosmati pavement to mark the coronation of King Charles III .

A special programme of events has been announced by the abbey, including a new guided tour, which will take place after the coronation on 6 May.

The tour will reveal the abbey’s royal links, tell stories from coronations past and present, visit the Coronation Chair and allow access to the Cosmati pavement, which can normally only be viewed from the bottom of the High Altar steps.

It will be the first time in living memory that the abbey has invited visitors to walk on the Cosmati pavement, where the Coronation Chair will be placed for the crowning of the king – but visitors must take off their shoes.

The Cosmati pavement is an intricate mosaic floor of marble, stone, glass and metal in front of the High Altar, which was commissioned by Henry III and completed in 1268 as the adornment of his abbey. It is where coronations have taken place for 700 years.

The Cosmati pavement

Abbey experts will guide the tour, which will explain the history and significance of the Cosmati pavement. Small groups of 10 will be taken on to the floor with everyone asked to remove their shoes to help protect its surface. The tours will run on selected days from 15 May to 29 July and cost £15, plus abbey entry.

The flooring is the best surviving example outside Italy of a rare type of mosaic stonework known as Cosmati, named after the Italian family that created it.

The pavement was hidden under carpet and away from public view from the 1870s until a two-year programme of conservation work was completed by the abbey in 2010.

The 7-metre, 58cm (24ft 10in) square pavement was covered with special carpet at previous coronations, including those of Elizabeth II in 1953 and George VI in 1937, but will be on display at the forthcoming coronation.

A cryptic inscription on it even predicts the end of the world, claiming it would last 19,683 years, with a riddle adding together the life spans of different animals including dogs, horses, men, stags, ravens, eagles and whales.

Scott Craddock, the head of visitor experience at the abbey, said: “The coronation will be a joyous and significant moment for the nation, and for Westminster Abbey. We hope that our special programme of events and digital resources gives everyone an opportunity to join in with the celebrations.”

Other elements of the special programme include a new exhibition in the Chapter House. It will explain and illustrate the key elements of the coronation service and its artefacts. The display opens on 12 April and is included in entry to the abbey.

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Rare chance to stand on Westminster Abbey’s 13th-century Cosmati Pavement

Xrare chance to stand on westminster abbey’s 13th-century cosmati pavement.

This summer, Westminster Abbey will let people stand on top of a protected 13th-century pavement that people are not usually allowed to walk on.

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

Cosmati Pavement (c) Westminster Abbey

The great pavement in front of the High Altar was laid down in 1268 by order of Henry III, and he brought craftsmen from Rome to carry out the intricate work.

The pavement belongs to a type of inlaid stone decoration known as Cosmati work, after one of the families of craftsmen who specialized in it and the technique is called opus sectile, ‘cut work’ that differs from Roman and medieval mosaic work which consists of square stones of equal size. It is where coronations have taken place ever since it was completed, and will be the focus of this year’s Coronation.

The pavement is such a precious item that to protect it, the public are not usually allowed to walk on it – until now.

After the coronation, Westminster Abbey will let small groups of people onto the pavement – to walk on it, but without shoes. You’ll need to wear socks when walking on the pavement.

Abbey staff will guide the tour, which will explain the history and significance of the Cosmati pavement. Small groups of ten will be taken onto the floor with everyone asked to remove their shoes to help protect its surface.

The tours will run on selected days from 15th May to 29th July and cost £15, plus Abbey entry.

Note, when booking, the £15 tour also includes entry to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, which is usually £5, so the Pavement visit is really just £10.

Abbey entry prices

  • Adult: £27
  • 1 Adult + 1 Child 6-17 years: £27
  • Child 6-17 Years: £12
  • Senior 65+: £24
  • Student: £24

For regular visitors, the Abbey Association gives you unlimited visits for an annual membership fee of £40.

May’s tour and booking information

June’s tour and booking information

July’s tour and booking information

Remember to wear your best socks!

There’s also a new exhibition in the Chapter House explaining and illustrating the key elements of a coronation service and its historic artefacts, which is included in the entry price.

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

Westminster Abbey from inside the Quire looking to the High Altar

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The Westminster Great Pavement has been on display since 1998, I think, but it was covered up with carpets for decades, including during the 1953 and earlier coronations.

There is a similar pavement in Canterbury, which may have been an inspiration for the one at Westminster. https://the-past.com/feature/cosmati-at-canterbury-cathedral-piecing-together-the-history-of-a-medieval-mosaic/

Apart from that, they are pretty rare outside Rome where the Cosmati lived and worked in the 13th century. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmati

Hi desperately want book two places see the Casmati Pavement tour at Westminster Abbey. We would be able to come on any date or time. I would really appreciate your reply.

You need to contact Westminster Abbey.

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An abbey marshall in a red coat and red socks walks across a mosaic floor in Westminster Abbey.

Cosmati pavement: walk on the 755-year -old floor where King Charles III will be crowned (but take off your shoes first)

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

Senior lecturer in History and History of Art, University of Bristol

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Lucy Donkin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Bristol provides funding as a founding partner of The Conversation UK.

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Westminster Abbey has announced that following the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, Camilla, in May 2023, the church’s famous Cosmati pavement will be opened up to the public. Every news story has been quick to highlight the unusual condition the abbey is imposing on visitors: given that this intricate mosaic was completed in 1268, people will have to remove their shoes to step on it.

Being able to see the floor as it was designed to be seen – underfoot and in motion – is an exciting experience. It goes beyond the visual and engages the senses more broadly. This will place visitors in a chain of tactile encounters that stretches back centuries. Many will relish the idea they are standing in the same spot as rulers past and present.

While the pavement has helped to stage events of national significance throughout its long history, its design and manufacture reflect international connections, especially with Rome. As I show in my 2022 book, Standing on Holy Ground in the Middle Ages, floor surfaces such as this took on considerable significance in the medieval period for the staging of ceremonies and to signal identity and connect people across time.

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

This piece is part of our coverage of King Charles III’s coronation . The first coronation of a British monarch since 1953 comes at a time of reckoning for the monarchy, the royal family and the Commonwealth. For more royal analysis, revisit our coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum jubilee , and her death in September 2022 .

A painting of Queen Victoria in Westminster Abbey.

Royal ceremonial

The Cosmati pavement lies in the sanctuary in front of the high altar. It has been part of the ceremonial life of the abbey since it was laid in the 13th century, during the reign of King Henry III.

Even then, coronations had long been held at Westminster and the mosaic was in place for that of Henry’s son, Edward I, in 1274. Physical contact with the pavement during the coronation ritual may have taken several forms. At one point, the king-to-be would lie on the ground in prayer, with precious textiles spread beneath him.

By the mid-19th century, the pavement was in poor condition and it was covered over with linoleum for protection. Extensive conservation work was undertaken between 2008 and 2010 to clean and repair it, before restoring it to its place in royal ritual and representation.

Two people with tools kneel on a mosaic floor.

The Prince and Princess of Wales were married on the Cosmati floor in 2011. The portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by London-based Australian painter, Ralph Heimans, painted to mark her Diamond jubilee, depicts the late monarch standing on the mosaic, close to its central roundel of veined alabaster.

Westminster and Rome

The Westminster floor is the only one of its kind north of the Alps. It was created by marble workers from the Cosmati workshops in Rome, with stone of various colours imported from Italy and beyond. The design features a series of roundels set within interlaced circles and squares, which in turn encompass a variety of smaller-scale geometric patterns.

The function of the pavement also has a distinctly Roman dimension, referencing Old St Peter’s Basilica . The pavement of the original church on the site – replaced in the 16th century with the domed basilica – included several large roundels of porphyry.

Porphyry is a dark red stone with imperial associations. The roundels in the St Peter’s mosaic served as liturgical markers in the rituals for the coronation of the Holy Roman Emperor. When Emperor Charles V was crowned not in Rome but Bologna, in 1530, roundels were marked out temporarily, by the master of ceremonies, on the floor of the Basilica of San Petronio.

The use and connotations of the pavement at Old St Peter’s will have been well known to both Henry III and Richard de Ware , the Abbot of Westminster, who visited Rome and has traditionally been credited with overseeing the laying of the mosaic in the abbey. Art historians Paul Binski and Claudia Bolgia have recently demonstrated the role played by the papal legate Ottobuono Fieschi in sourcing the marble and marble workers.

If the Westminster pavement’s design and use of porphyry expressed a powerful connection with Rome, its status reinforced that of the rulers who came into contact with it (and vice versa). Repeated use of the same spot also forged associations between rulers over time.

My research has shown that such creative use of the floors of important buildings was widespread during the Middle Ages. It often involved images as well as precious materials. And it served to connect members of communities as well as a succession of office holders.

Standing in socks

On a practical level, requiring visitors to Westminster to remove their shoes before walking on the pavement is about safeguarding the mosaics. Doing so is, of course, also a way of showing reverence, as visitors to sacred places the world over know. Medieval coronation rituals themselves often involved rulers going unshod as a sign of humility. A list of textiles purchased for the coronation of Edward III in 1327 includes cloth to be spread under the bare feet of the king as he walked, in a procession, to the abbey.

More fundamentally, though, being unshod makes for a much more vivid encounter with something this ancient. As a PhD student, I worked on the 12th-century floor mosaic of Novara cathedral in Piedmont, Italy. Here roundels depicting the symbols of the four evangelists were used by members of the clergy as markers for reading passages from the gospels during pre-baptismal ceremonies.

During my visit, several carpets had to be rolled up, so that I could see and photograph the floor. I was then allowed to step on to it in my socks – an enticingly thin layer between pavement and body, past and present.

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You can walk on the mosaic where King Charles will be crowned — in your socks

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

If you want to feel like King Charles III, now could be your chance: Over the summer, some visitors to London’s Westminster Abbey will be able to stand on the very spot where the new monarch will be crowned, on a rare Italian mosaic that has been inaccessible to the public for decades.

The only catch? They will have to walk around in their socks.

The abbey, which has been the site of generations of royal weddings and funerals, says it’s the first time in living memory that visitors will be able to walk on the Cosmati pavement, a mosaic containing marble, stone, glass and metal that dates to the 13th century.

On May 6, Charles will become the 40th monarch to be crowned at the abbey — and the first in 70 years. His coronation chair will stand on the intricate floor in front of the abbey’s high altar.

The Cosmati pavement was “hidden under carpet and thus away from public view from the 1870s” onward, until restoration works were completed in 2010, the abbey says — making this the first time in more than a century that the unique mosaic will be on display during a coronation.

King Charles III’s coronation date set for May 6 at Westminster Abbey

The mosaic tours will take place shortly after the May 6 coronation, on select days between May 15 and July 29. Visitors will have to remove their shoes to avoid damaging the mosaic — and must remember to bring socks, as bare feet are also not allowed for hygienic reasons, according to the abbey.

So how much will it cost to stand at the spot where King Charles will be crowned? Visitors will need to pay about $18 to prebook the tour, plus a fee of up to $33 to enter the abbey itself.

Unfortunately for many monarchy fans, all tour dates sold out within hours of going on sale, although not all hope is lost — the abbey’s press office has confirmed that any canceled tickets will be resold via Eventbrite.

“Due to the historic significance and importance of the pavement, and the need to maintain its condition for the future, the Abbey has been only able to offer these tours in limited numbers,” the press office said in an emailed statement.

Visitors can still take part in other events the abbey has organized to mark the coronation, including an exhibition, and a special coronation afternoon tea.

Woman completes quintessentially English mission to eat 244 scones across U.K.

Attitudes toward the monarchy vary significantly in Britain. A poll last year suggested that two-thirds of people felt the United Kingdom should continue to have a monarchy but that younger people were much less supportive than older generations.

On Thursday, the abbey was visited by anti-monarchy demonstrators, who stood on the Cosmati pavement, wearing shoes, while unveiling a banner that read: “Would you vote for him?”

“There is no symbol that better represents the fundamental travesty of our democracy than the coronation throne in Westminster Abbey,” the group Republic, which campaigns for the abolition of the monarchy, tweeted .

The Cosmati pavement, commissioned by King Henry III and named after the Italian family that created the technique, was completed in 1268, according to Westminster Abbey. For decades, the mosaic was hidden by carpets — including during the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 and her father, George VI, in 1937 — but it emerged again in 2010 after workers completed two years of conservation work.

Since then, members of the public have been able to see, but not step on, the pavement.

As well as representing a key part of Britain’s royal history, the abbey is home to the tombs of some of Britain’s most famous names , including scientists Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking, and authors Rudyard Kipling and Charles Dickens.

Centuries of history come to life on a verger tour of Westminster Abbey

Arrangements for Charles’s coronation have been underway for months, from altering the solid-gold St. Edward’s Crown , with its hundreds of jewels, to the commissioning of a new coronation song, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber .

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

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Why You Have to Take Your Shoes Off to Stand in This Famed Spot in Westminster Abbey

Visitors on the "Church and Crown" tour will be able to stand in the same spot where King Charles will be crowned, sans shoes.

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

Jonathan Brady/Getty Images

This special tour at Westminster Abbey puts you right at the center of King Charles III's May 6 coronation — as long as you take your shoes off.

According to The Associated Press, Westminster Abbey officials are opening a section of the Cosmati pavement, a marble, stone, glass, and metal mosaic floor commissioned by King Henry III in the 1200s that sits at the Abbey's High Altar. The area, crafted by Italian and English masons, is where coronations — including that of Queen Elizabeth's II — have taken place throughout history. It's also where several royal weddings have taken place, including that of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

"It's a unique piece of art to Westminster Abbey but also to Britain itself — there are no other mosaic pavements like this in the U.K.," Vanessa Simeoni, the abbey's head conservator, told the Associated Press. But, to stand on the floor, guests will be asked to remove their shoes to avoid further wear and tear. But, as Westminster Abbey explains on its website , the tiled area measures 24 feet 10 inches square. The abstract pattern includes triangles, squares, circles, and rectangles made of onyx, purple porphyry, green serpentine, and yellow limestone, along with red, turquoise, and cobalt blue colored glass. So truly, it's worth unlacing your sneakers for.

The spot is normally roped off.

"Standing on the pavement and feeling that sense of awe of being in the central part of the abbey is a really amazing experience," Scott Craddock, the head of visitor experience at Westminster, told the AP of the "Church and Crown Tour." "It will give people the opportunity to feel what it's like being at that center stage of the coronation."

Unfortunately the tour dates are already sold out, however in the chance more dates are added, Westminster Abbey has shared all information as well as other coronation events for visitors — including a high tea, a coronation exhibit, and more. The mosaic fell into disrepair after the last royal coronation of Queen Elizabeth's, in 1953. It was subsequently covered in carpeting to protect it and underwent a 2-year conservation project, which was completed in 2010.

Tourists will be able to visit the same spot British kings and queens have been crowned on for centuries — but you'll have to take your shoes off to tread on the hallowed ground

  • The coronation site of British royals will open to the public for the first time in its 700-year history.
  • London's Westminster Abbey will hold special tours from May 15 to its famed Cosmati pavement.
  • To protect the mosaic tiles, visitors must remove their shoes and walk with only their socks on. 

Insider Today

The site where King Charles III will be crowned — and where other British monarchs have been crowned for centuries — will be open to the public to visit come May. 

About a week after King Charles' May 6 coronation, London's Westminster Abbey will allow visitors to walk on its revered Cosmati pavement . This has been the coronation site of kings and queens for over 700 years, the church's website announced in a news release .

To protect the mosaic tiles on the 13th-century floor, visitors will be required to remove their shoes and walk with only their socks on.

Related stories

"It will be the first time in living memory that the Abbey has invited visitors to walk on the Cosmati pavement where the Coronation Chair will be placed for the crowning of HM The King on Saturday 6th May," the news release read.

—Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) April 15, 2021

Scott Craddock, the church's head of visitor experience, said he hopes the tours will give "everyone an opportunity to join in with the celebrations."

The intricate  25-square-foot mosaic piece , made of 80,000 pieces of marble, stone, glass, and metal, was previously cordoned off to the public, and could only be viewed from a distance, the release said.

The tours will take place once daily from May 15 to May 31. Tickets are priced at $18.40.  

Representatives for Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

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westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

Westminster Abbey offers shoes-off tour of Coronation site

The guided tour, which sold out in less than 24 hours, will see visitors walk on the Abbey’s mosaic floor for the first time “in living memory”

A guided tour of the Westminster Abbey site of the King’s Coronation has been made available to visitors for the first time, and has already sold out.

The tour, ‘Crown and Church,’ is part of a series of events to mark the Coronation at the Abbey and will take place after the Coronation.

For the first time, it will allow those who have managed to secure a ticket access to the Cosmati pavement, which can normally only be viewed from the bottom of the High Altar steps.

The pavement, a mosaic floor of marble, stone, glass and metal sits in front of the High Altar, and was commissioned by Henry III. completed in 1268, it is where coronations have taken place ever since.

Abbey experts will guide small groups of ten, who will be taken onto the floor and asked to remove their shoes to help protect the pavement’s surface.

The Abbey said it is the first time “in living memory” that members of the public will walk on the pavement, where the Coronation Chair will be placed for the crowning of HM The King on Saturday 6th May.

Scott Craddock, Head of Visitor Experience said:“The Coronation will be a joyous and significant moment for the nation, and for Westminster Abbey. We hope that our special programme of events and digital resources gives everyone an opportunity to join in with the celebrations.”

The Abbey’s programme of events for the coronation also includes a Coronation exhibition at Chapter House, which will explore the key elements of a coronation service and its historic artefacts from Tuesday 11th April.

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News | London

Westminster Abbey to keep coronation theatre open to public

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

The raised stage where the King was crowned inside Westminster Abbey will remain on display for another week for those eager to get up close to the yellow dais in person.

The coronation theatre is open for self-guided tours until Saturday May 13 for between £12 and £27 a ticket, according to Westminster Abbey’s website .

Royal fans will be able to view the coronation chair among other elements from the coronation service on Saturday from the Abbey’s North and South Transepts.

The Coronation Chair will remain position on the Cosmati Pavement, where the King was crowned, and the Queen’s Coronation bouquet has been laid on the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.

westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

Visitors on the self-led tours will also get to catch a glimpse of the Lady Chapel, Cloisters, Pyx Chamber, Nave, Abbey gardens and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galliers.

Tickets are limited so enthusiasts are warned to purchase them quickly.

Right in the middle of Westminster Abbey is an area that was specifically built to be spacious enough to hold coronations. For hundreds of years the coronation theatre would have been surrounded in colour with bright wall paintings, stained-glass windows and decorated chapel screens.

The colourful Cosmati Pavement, laid down in 1268 during King Henry III’s rebuild of the Abbey, is still visible today.

The coronation chair in St George’s Chapel is one of the oldest pieces of furniture in the world. It has been the centrepiece of coronations for over 700 years when it is placed in the centre of the Abbey, in front of the High Altar.

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The chair was made by order of Edward I to enclose the famous Stone of Scone, which he brought from Scotland to the Abbey in 1296.

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The location of the coronation ceremony is close to the Abbey’s High Altar. As part of a Holy Communion service, the coronation is where the monarch makes promises to the people as well as God.

An influx of tourists over the coronation weekend was estimated to bring a £450 million boost to the capital.

Experts estimate that more than 30,000 extra foreign visitors — equivalent to the population of a town the size of Windsor — on top of what would normally be expected visited London for the historic occasion.

In total there were forecast to be more than 100,000 overseas tourists staying in London for the crowning of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

With hundreds of thousands more visiting from around the UK, virtually every hotel and short stay rental room in the capital was booked and prices soared.

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Why is the Cosmati pavement so special you have to wear socks to walk on it?

Visitors will be able to stand in the same spot where the king is crowned on the cosmati pavement in westminster abbey..

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Watch: Tourists allowed to walk on site of King's coronation - in socks

Members of the public will be allowed to stand in the exact spot where King Charles III will be crowned - on one potentially smelly condition.

The King's coronation takes place at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday 6 May, but, in the weeks that follow, visitors will be permitted to stand in his shoes.

Well, not quite his shoes.

The King's coronation will take place on the Abbey's famed Cosmati pavement, one of the country's greatest medieval art treasures, which is usually roped off to the public.

But for the second half of May and all of June and July, visitors will be able to walk on the pavement - as long as they wear only socks.

What is the Cosmati pavement?

The 24ft 10in square pavement was commissioned by Henry III and completed in 1268 as a glittering adornment to his Abbey.

A cryptic inscription even predicts the end of the world, claiming it would last 19,683 years, with a riddle adding together the life spans of different animals including dogs, horses, men, stags, ravens, eagles and whales.

Read more: Less than half of Britons back Harry being invited to King's coronation

It is considered the best surviving example outside Italy of a rare type of mosaic stonework known as Cosmati, named after the Italian family who perfected the technique.

What part does it play in coronations?

The intricate 13th-century mosaic floor – at the heart of the Abbey’s coronation theatre – has been the site of the crowning of kings and queens for more than 700 years.

It was covered over with carpet at many previous coronations, including Queen Elizabeth II’s in 1953 and George VI’s in 1937, but for the King’s, it will remain uncovered, the Abbey said.

The pavement was hidden under carpet and away from public view for 150 years from the 1870s until it was unveiled after a two-year programme of conservation work in 2010.

The late Queen was depicted standing on the spot where she was crowned in Australian-born artist Ralph Heimans’ portrait for her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

When is the Cosmati pavement open to the public?

Visitors to Westminster Abbey are to be allowed to stand – in socks – for the first time in the exact spot where the King will be crowned.

Tourists will be kept to small groups of 10 and will be asked to remove their shoes and walk-in socks to help protect the pavement, made of geometric pattens of marble, stone, glass and metal, in the Sacrarium.

The guided Crown and Church visits will begin on 15 May, a week after the coronation.

The tour by Abbey experts will reveal the London abbey’s royal links, tell stories from coronations and allow access to the pavement and explain its history and significance.

A spokesperson for the Abbey said: “It will be the first time in living memory that the Abbey has invited visitors to walk on the Cosmati pavement where the Coronation Chair will be placed for the crowning of HM The King on Saturday 6 May.”

How to book to see the Cosmati pavement

The Crown and Church tours will run until 29 July and cost £15, plus Abbey entry.

However, Westminster Abbey revealed that all the tours to visit the Cosmati pavement sold out at about 9am on Friday, shortly after going on sale.

Watch: Here is what the King's coronation will look like

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The History Of Westminster Abbey's Cosmati Pavement

Westminster Abbey Cosmati pavement

Covered with thick carpet for the past 150 years, a priceless treasure of Westminster Abbey has remained unseen as a way of preservation (via The Guardian ). Over the centuries, this piece of art and architecture from medieval times was trodden upon by kings, queens, bishops, and cardinals. Few modern visitors have seen this Italian decorative stonework, the only example of its kind north of the Alps.

The Cosmatesque pavement method was popular in Rome in the 12th and 13th centuries (via "Westminster Abbey: the stones of the Sanctuary Pavement" ). It's named after a family of Italian marble workers. Four generations of the Cosmati were decorative stone masons and masters of this mosaic pavement method. Though studied for ages, there are certainly intentions of these designs that are lost to time. For the 13th century, its installation in England represents a great achievement in international communication, logistics, and transport.

The geometric design represents a mix of numeric symmetry and ratios. Most of the stones are original, though the durability of each type has become obvious with time. Others were lost to pilgrims taking souvenirs over the centuries, and ancient transcriptions experienced repeated condensation and can no longer be deciphered. Of course, the stones installed at Westminster Abbey were placed for more than a show of wealth — they carry great symbolism, as well as political and historical significance.

What composes the Cosmati tiles of Westminster?

At every level of inspection, the Cosmati craftsmen's opus sectile (or "cut work") tiling is impressive. Set in Purbeck marble, stones were brought in from disparate regions of Europe (via Nexus Network Journal ). Some from Italy, others from France, the design features stones such as Egyptian gabbro, Tadcaster limestone, alabaster, and white and pink breccia corallina marble (via "Westminster Abbey; the stones of the Sanctuary Pavement" ). The porphyry rock sparkles with embedded crystals and brings green and purple colors to the mosaic's pallet. Added to the detail are opaque and transparent potassium-lime glass from northwestern Europe, most likely France.

These tiles are cut into shapes that differ from the more common cubes popular at the time in England. The geometric elements of the pavement include numerous quincunx. Like how the dots are arranged on the five-side of a die, quincunx features individual objects placed in four corners and a fifth in the center. To fully appreciate the scope of the installation, the best view of the pavement is from the triforium — a gallery above the arches of the choir. Only from there can you see that the design is truly quincunxes within a quincunx, a frame of roundel figure eights, and observe the final outline of tombs.

Henry III commissions the mosaic

Called the "Great Pavement," the Italian stonework dates back to A.D. 1268, according to an article in the  Nexus Network Journal . Its installation was commissioned by Henry III. His reign featured the continuation of strife between the monarchy and powerful Barons. For significant parts of his rule, the article says Henry III was "subject to the authority of the Baronial Council."

Henry III was often preoccupied with his salvation. He identified and relied on his perceived support from the  11th century's St. Edward the Confessor . Henry believed this saint guided him in life and would lead him to the next. It became Henry's goal to enshrine St. Edward in Westminster Abbey. Wanting something truly special, he commissioned workmen all the way from the Mediterranean. This decision was made in spite of Henry having never been to Italy or seen Cosmati pavement.

It proved difficult to fund the work Henry III hoped would align him with St. Edward. He was determined to live to see the carefully selected day of the shrine's translation in 1269. The day of the translation featured political drama. According to the piece in Nexus Network Journal, a "[quarrel] broke out during the ceremony and the bishops did not form a procession behind the body of Edward the Confessor." Eventually, Edward the confessor was enshrined in a tomb located behind the High Alter and surrounded by unique and priceless tilework commissioned by an ardent believer (via "Westminster Abbey: the stones of the Sanctuary Pavement" ).

Feet for a king: Westminster Abbey barefoot tour a crowning achievement for Charles’ coronation

Abbey officials said friday that the section of the church’s floor known as the cosmati pavement, where the chair in which britain’s monarchs are crowned has been placed for some 700 years, will be on display during king charles’ may 6 coronation..

A shoeless Abbey Marshal Howard Berry walks across the center of the Cosmati pavement, located in front of the altar at Westminster Abbey in central London.

A shoeless Abbey Marshal Howard Berry walks across the center of the Cosmati pavement, located in front of the altar at Westminster Abbey in central London.

LONDON — People who visit London’s Westminster Abbey after the coronation of King Charles III will be allowed to stand on the exact spot where he was crowned, but they will need to make sure they don’t have holes in their socks for the shoeless tour, designed to protect the abbey’s medieval mosaic floor.

Abbey officials said Friday that the section of the church’s floor known as the Cosmati pavement, where the chair in which Britain’s monarchs are crowned has been placed for some 700 years, will be on display during Charles’ May 6 coronation after being hidden away under carpets for decades because of disrepair.

The pavement area, normally roped off to the public, will be open to small guided “barefoot tours” after the crowning ceremony. Visitors will be asked to remove their shoes to avoid wear and tear to the floor, which was restored to its former glory after a two-year conservation project was completed in 2010.

The Cosmati pavement, located in front of the altar, at Westminster Abbey.

The Cosmati pavement, located in front of the altar, at Westminster Abbey.

“Standing on the pavement and feeling that sense of awe of being in the central part of the abbey is a really amazing experience,” Scott Craddock, the head of visitor experience at the famous church. “It will give people the opportunity to feel what it’s like being at that center stage of the coronation.”

King Henry III commissioned the intricate mosaic of marble, stone, glass and metal, located in front of the abbey’s high altar, in the 1200s. Italian craftsmen and English masons made it.

It is where English — and, later, British — coronations have taken place ever since, but the area was covered by carpet at many previous coronations, including those of Elizabeth II in 1953 and her father, George VI, in 1937.

The mosaic is said to be the best surviving example outside Italy of a rare type of stonework known as “Cosmati,” after the Italian family which created it.

“It’s a unique piece of art to Westminster Abbey but also to Britain itself — there are no other mosaic pavements like this in the U.K.,” Vanessa Simeoni, the abbey’s head conservator, said.

Experts from the abbey will guide the tours, which will run on some days from May 15 to July 29.

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IMAGES

  1. Guests Now Allowed To Walk On Westminster Abbey's Cosmati Pavement

    westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

  2. Westminster Abbey Self Guided Tour

    westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

  3. Westminster Abbey’s Coronation Theatre

    westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

  4. Westminster Abbey Entrance Ticket

    westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

  5. High Altar at Westminster Abbey with the Cosmati Pavement

    westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

  6. London: Westminster Abbey Ticket

    westminster abbey cosmati pavement tour tickets

COMMENTS

  1. Cosmati Pavement

    The Cosmati Pavement at Westminster Abbey. It was laid down in 1268 by order of Henry III who had started re-building Edward the Confessor 's Abbey in the new Gothic style in 1245. The workmen came from Rome, with a man called Odoricus at their head. The pavement belongs to a type of inlaid stone decoration known as Cosmati work, after one of ...

  2. Prices & entry times

    Highlights Tour. At times when we cannot open the entire Abbey to visitors, we offer a highlights tour at a reduced price. Tickets are only available at the Abbey. Prices. Association members - Free entry; Adults - £19; Concessions (people aged 65+ and students) - £19; Children Aged 6-17 years - £8; Aged 0-5 years - Free (when accompanied by ...

  3. Public invited to walk on Westminster Abbey's Cosmati pavement

    The Cosmati pavement, commissioned by Henry III and completed in 1268. Photograph: Jonathan Brady/PA. Abbey experts will guide the tour, which will explain the history and significance of the ...

  4. Special Coronation events announced

    A special programme of events has been announced today including a new guided tour: Crown and Church, which will take place after the Coronation. It will reveal the Abbey's royal links, tell stories from coronations past and present, visit the Coronation Chair, and allow access to the Cosmati pavement, which can normally only be viewed from ...

  5. Rare chance to stand on Westminster Abbey's 13th-century Cosmati Pavement

    The tours will run on selected days from 15th May to 29th July and cost £15, plus Abbey entry. Note, when booking, the £15 tour also includes entry to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, which is usually £5, so the Pavement visit is really just £10. Abbey entry prices. Adult: £27; 1 Adult + 1 Child 6-17 years: £27; Child 6-17 Years: £12

  6. I toured Westminster Abbey's Cosmati pavement in my socks

    In the months before King Charles III was crowned on May 6 2023, Westminster Abbey announced that the public would be able to see its fabled Cosmati pavement up close - in their socks. The 13th ...

  7. Visit Westminster Abbey: Best Things to Do & HELPFUL Tips

    If you are visiting Westminster Abbey without taking a tour, there is an established walking route through the abbey. ... The High Altar and Cosmati Pavement. ... How Much Does it Cost to Visit Westminster Abbey? Entry Tickets: £29 for adults; children 6 to 17 years £13; children 5 and under are free; Adults 65+ and students £26.

  8. King Charles coronation: Tourists to take Westminster Abbey tour in

    The Cosmati pavement in Westminster Abbey was hidden under carpet and away from public view for 150 years from the 1870s until it was unveiled after a two-year programme of conservation work in ...

  9. Westminster Abbey

    Abbey entry tickets are non-refundable, however if your plans are impacted by transport strikes or illness, we are happy to reschedule your visit within 6 months of your original booking. The Abbey is typically busier during May-Sep, Easter, and Christmas/New Year. During such times gate sales may be restricted and wait times may be longer.

  10. Cosmati pavement: walk on the

    Westminster Abbey has announced that following the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort, Camilla, in May 2023, the church's famous Cosmati pavement will be opened up to the ...

  11. Westminster Abbey to offer tours of Cosmati pavement, the coronation

    March 24, 2023 at 9:10 a.m. EDT. Abbey marshal Howard Berry stands at the center of the Cosmati pavement, located before the altar, during a photo call Thursday at Westminster Abbey in London to ...

  12. Why You Have to Take Your Shoes Off to Stand in This Famed ...

    According to The Associated Press, Westminster Abbey officials are opening a section of the Cosmati pavement, a marble, stone, glass, and metal mosaic floor commissioned by King Henry III in the ...

  13. Tourists Will Be Able to Visit British Royal Coronation Site ...

    London's Westminster Abbey will hold special tours from May 15 to its famed Cosmati pavement. To protect the mosaic tiles, visitors must remove their shoes and walk with only their socks on. NEW LOOK

  14. Westminster Abbey offers shoes-off tour of Coronation site

    Westminster Abbey offers shoes-off tour of Coronation site. 24 March 2023. Image: A conservation team work on the Cosmati pavement at Westminster Abbey, London, 2009 (CC by SA 3.0 Christine Smith) The guided tour, which sold out in less than 24 hours, will see visitors walk on the Abbey's mosaic floor for the first time "in living memory ...

  15. Westminster Abbey to keep coronation theatre open to public

    The coronation theatre is open for self-guided tours until Saturday May 13 for between £12 and £27 a ticket, according to Westminster Abbey's website. ... The colourful Cosmati Pavement, laid ...

  16. Cosmati pavement: What is the mosaic floor at Westminster Abbey?

    How to book to see the Cosmati pavement. The Crown and Church tours will run until 29 July and cost £15, plus Abbey entry. However, Westminster Abbey revealed that all the tours to visit the Cosmati pavement sold out at about 9am on Friday, shortly after going on sale. Watch: Here is what the King's coronation will look like

  17. Coronation Theatre

    While it is referred to as the Coronation Theatre, the space between the High Altar and the quire stalls really acts as the stage for coronations past and present. It is here that the 700-year-old Coronation Chair is placed, facing the High Altar, on which the monarch sits for the majority of the service. It is no coincidence that the location ...

  18. The History Of Westminster Abbey's Cosmati Pavement

    The Cosmatesque pavement method was popular in Rome in the 12th and 13th centuries (via "Westminster Abbey: the stones of the Sanctuary Pavement" ). It's named after a family of Italian marble workers. Four generations of the Cosmati were decorative stone masons and masters of this mosaic pavement method. Though studied for ages, there are ...

  19. Westminster's Cosmati Pavement open for King's coronation

    Visit Shots! now. To mark King Charles III 's coronation on May 6, the public have been invited to walk on Westminster Abbey's mediaeval Cosmati Pavement - but there's a strict dress code ...

  20. Westminster Abbey barefoot tour a crowning achievement

    Feet for a king: Westminster Abbey barefoot tour a crowning achievement for Charles' coronation Abbey officials said Friday that the section of the church's floor known as the Cosmati pavement ...

  21. Visitors can walk on rare coronation floor in socks

    Westminster Abbey will allow access to the spot on a 750-year-old floor where the King will be crowned. ... visitors will be able to walk across the Cosmati pavement and stand on the spot where ...

  22. Visit

    Explore a place rich in history. The Abbey is a place that's touched the lives of kings, queens, statesmen and soldiers, poets, priests, heroes and villains since 960AD. Westminster Abbey has been the coronation church since 1066 and is the resting place of more than 3,000 great Britons.

  23. Poets' Corner

    Poets' Corner Westminster Abbey is a place of pilgrimage for literature lovers. More than 100 poets and writers are buried or have memorials here. ... Overview tour Christianity in 10 objects ... Cosmati Pavement Crib Funeral and wax effigies ...

  24. Westminster Abbey prays for the health of The Princess of Wales

    Everyone at Westminster Abbey wishes The Princess of Wales well following the news of her cancer diagnosis. The Dean of Westminster, the Very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, said: 'In the face of this news, it is our hope that Her Royal Highness will feel sustained by the love that surrounds her and find renewed hope in the prayers that we offer.'

  25. Reflection: Palm Sunday

    Welcome to our series of Lent and Easter reflections. The Reverend Dr James Hawkey discusses the sentiment of Palm Sunday in relation to the story and legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This reflection is inspired by Mark 11: 1-11. Receive upcoming reflections direct to your inbox by signing up to our ...