WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN Illustration credits and copyright references for photographs, maps and other illustrations are under negotiation with the following organisations: Dean and Chapter of Westminster Westminster School Parliamentary Estates Directorate Westminster City Council English Heritage Greater London Authority Simmons Aerofilms / Atkins Atkins / PLB / Barry Stow 2 WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE SITE MANAGEMENT PLAN The Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including St. Margaret’s Church World Heritage Site Management Plan Prepared on behalf of the Westminster World Heritage Site Management Plan Steering Group, by a consortium led by Atkins, with Barry Stow, conservation architect, and tourism specialists PLB Consulting Ltd. The full steering group chaired by English Heritage comprises representatives of: ICOMOS UK DCMS The Government Office for London The Dean and Chapter of Westminster The Parliamentary Estates Directorate Transport for London The Greater London Authority Westminster School Westminster City Council The London Borough of Lambeth The Royal Parks Agency The Church Commissioners Visit London 3 4 WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE S I T E M ANAGEMENT PLAN FOREWORD by David Lammy MP, Minister for Culture I am delighted to present this Management Plan for the Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St Margaret’s Church World Heritage Site. For over a thousand years, Westminster has held a unique architectural, historic and symbolic significance where the history of church, monarchy, state and law are inexorably intertwined. As a group, the iconic buildings that form part of the World Heritage Site represent masterpieces of monumental architecture from medieval times on and which draw on the best of historic construction techniques and traditional craftsmanship. But it is as the pre-eminent symbol of democratic government and for its continuing spiritual significance that Westminster has exerted its greatest influence, contributing to the development of parliamentary ideals across the globe and serving as a reminder of ideas which are of prime importance to mankind. The Government is accountable to UNESCO and the wider international community for the future conservation and presentation of this important site. It is a responsibility we take seriously. This Management Plan has been developed in close co-operation with the organizations responsible for the day-to-day care of the Site, together with the local community and others with a special interest in it. The Plan aims to provide an understanding of the World Heritage Site within its historical and contemporary context and ensure that effective management and conservation strategies are in place to safeguard its very special tangible and intangible qualities for future generations. I am extremely grateful to the many bodies and individuals who have worked so hard to produce this Plan, in particular the constituent members of the Westminster World Heritage Site Steering Group. I am sure that this Management Plan will help to guide the future of the site and balance the development of its potential with the effective conservation prove to be an invaluable management tool to all those involved in the ongoing conservation and presentation of this very special place. DAVID LAMMY 5 WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE S I T E M ANAGEMENT PLAN CONTENTS Introduction 1 Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey 1 Project details 4 The purpose of the management plan 4 Timeline 9 1. Description of the World Heritage Site 17 1.1 Location and definition of the site 17 1.2 The history and evolution of the site 23 1.3 The WHS today: the built heritage 46 1.4 The intangible heritage 56 1.5 Archaeological deposits 57 1.6 The public realm 58 1.7 Outside the WHS: the immediate environs 65 1.8 The activities within the WHS 73 1.9 Physical and intellectual access to the WHS 79 1.10 Movement, transport and parking 80 1.11 Current ownership and management arrangements 85 2. Evaluation of the World Heritage Site 89 2.1 Introduction 89 2.2 The Outstanding Universal Value of the Westminster WHS and test of authenticity 89 2.3 Statement of significance 91 2.4 Test of Authenticity 101 2.5 Revising the Outstanding Universal Value 101 2.6 Statutory designations 102 3. The management issues of the World Heritage Site 105 4. A Vision for the World Heritage Site 115 5. Objectives for the Management Plan 117 6. Implementing the Management Plan 133 Appendices 1 Inventory of buildings of architectural or historical importance, including statues, 143 within and close to the WHS 2 Bibliography 179 3 Notes on consultations 183 4 Glossary 195 7 WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE S I T E M ANAGEMENT PLAN introduction Introduction Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey The two institutions housed in Westminster Palace and Westminster Abbey have intertwined histories stretching back over one thousand years. They are the descendants of the royal palace-abbey compound established on Thorney Island by Edward the Confessor in the 11th century. But they continue to stand at the centre of British political and spiritual life and to the world they are icons, a result of their supreme influence on the development and history of democracy and Christianity across much of the globe. Parliament is the means by which Britain is governed. It is composed of the Monarch, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It makes laws, examines the work of Government (often limiting its power), controls taxation and expenditure, protects individuals through representation by Members of Parliament, debates current affairs and matters of international importance, and is the highest Court of Appeal in the land. The Abbey’s mission is divine worship. As a Royal Peculiar it has no parish in the normal sense of the word. In a sense, the world is the Abbey’s parish. At the hub of one the busiest world cities, the unfailing daily services of Matins, Eucharist and Evensong meet the spiritual needs of many. The Abbey continues to provide the calm and contemplation reminiscent of the Benedictine purpose, for regular worshippers and visitors alike. Major ceremonies and events, celebrating and commemorating life and death on behalf of the nation, are broadcast across the world and are attended by international heads of state. So the two institutions and the buildings they inhabit are not museums. Yet they are major tourist destinations, attracting many thousands of visitors a day. They come to see the buildings which are used by the world’s media as emblems of Britain. Welcoming these visitors is also part of the mission of the Abbey and Parliament, since outreach and enlightenment underpin their roles. The challenge for the Palace, the Abbey and others is to safeguard their heritage – the tangible and intangible qualities passed down from earlier generations of dignitaries, clergy, artists, craftsmen and citizens – while continuing the evolutionary journey of their central purpose and misson. 1 WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE S I T E M ANAGEMENT PLAN introduction Westminster - A unique place A masterpiece of human creative genius Westminster has been the seat of national sovereignty and the focus of national ritual and ceremony since the Saxon period. The materials, scale and quality of the buildings and spaces which have been created here since that time, as well as the use of the major builders and architects of the day, reflect the pre-eminence of the site. Notable early patrons of the site included c. 17th century. Westminster Hall rebuilt in 1399 by Henry Yevele. internationally important historical figures, such as Edward the Confessor and King Henry III. The buildings of both Palace and Abbey employed the pre-eminent architects and craftsmen of their day, from Henry Yevele and Hugh Herland, the mason and carpenter of Westminster Hall, to Sir Charles Barry and AW Pugin of the New Palace, and Wren and Hawksmoor on the later works on the Abbey. Westminster Abbey and Westminster Palace also contain decorative schemes, furniture and fittings, as well as monuments and works of art, of unique and international importance. The architectural influence Westminster Abbey is a unique masterpiece of English Gothic, which drew on the architectural traditions and developments of medieval Europe, especially France. Westminster Hall, with its internationally famous decorated hammer beam roof, is the finest piece of medieval architectural carpentry in the world. The 19th century Palace of Westminster is also a masterpiece of Victorian architecture, with its internationally recognised form and skyline. The use of the Victorian Gothic style for these buildings had an international influence on the architecture and taste of their day and therefore on the history of architecture and the decorative arts. An outstanding example of significant stages of human history The nature and outstanding quality of Westminster Hall and Westminster Abbey exemplify the stage of history when monarchs sought to symbolise their power and status in permanent monumental architecture and to legitimise their authority by reference to divinity and the saints. Westminster Hall, as a West Towers of the Abbey. public building in which the early Royal Councils gathered, the courts were located and public trials were held, is a unique architectural survival of the very beginnings of English soveriegnty and law. The adoption of the Gothic Style for the new Parliamentary buildings expressed nostalgia for medieval ideals, 2 WESTMINSTER WORLD HERITAGE S I T E M ANAGEMENT PLAN introduction homage to the early fathers of the parliamentary system and their struggle for representation and liberty from over-powerful monarchs. It re-stated the ‘religious calling’ of government, as well as the interrelationship of the histories of Parliament and the Abbey. The archaeological deposits lying beneath the buildings are also unique and irreplaceable evidence of the form and style of buildings, as well as the people, economy and environment of the very earliest days of the occupation of Westminster and the early buildings of both Westminster Palace and Abbey.