Hidden in Westminster Abbey: Da Vinci Code Travel
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| About 3,300 people are buried at the Abbey, including Mary Beaumont, Countess of Buckingham, whose burial site is marked by a marble effigy. |
With an appointment and appropriate credentials, serious scholars can review the collection of historic manuscripts and documents, many of which are — you guessed it — hidden from public view.
With an Abbey official as my guide, I went on a private tour behind closed doors in the library and found myself in a dark, dusty balcony room overlooking the sanctuary. We were surrounded by document cases, stacks of uncataloged historic papers, paintings and a large, ancient chest. That chest looks old enough ... wonder what’s inside?
Apparently not the Holy Grail sought by the characters in The Da Vinci Code. And it’s a good thing, given the seeming lack of sophisticated theft or fire-protection systems in this nook of the Abbey. So it seems the library and muniment room have nothing to do with The Da Vinci Code. But wait. Open the book and re-read Dan Brown’s acknowledgement.
“For their generous assistance in the research of this book, I would like to acknowledge the Louvre Museum, the French Ministry of Culture ... the Muniment Collection at Westminster Abbey …”
Holy conspiracy! Will the hidden mysteries never end? Maybe not, based on a recent archeological survey. Archeologists used ground-penetrating radar to explore the area below the Abbey’s Cosmati pavement — the ornate mosaic floor located in front of the high altar. The more they looked, the more hidden mysteries unfolded, and the survey was expanded to reveal a series of previously unknown vaults and burial chambers that are still being examined.
A word about burials in Westminster Abbey. The dead are almost everywhere underfoot. The Abbey staff estimates that about 3,300 people are buried here, but that’s just a guess. Sir Isaac Newton is hardly alone here among famous dead folk. Kings and queens abound, including some of the most famous names in English history.
But there are also famous actors (Laurence Olivier), musicians (George Frideric Handel), and a large contingent of writers. The latter group includes Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Robert Browning, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Rudyard Kipling. Given the Abbey’s theological issues with The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown probably won’t ever join this particular dead writer’s society.
Not every monument or hidden mystery in Westminster Abbey is ancient or even mysterious. On the way to view the private Jerusalem Chamber, we walked over a monument that official Abbey guidebooks generally ignore.
Thomas Crapper — the unfortunately named plumber, who, contrary to urban legend did not invent, but put much effort into popularizing, the modern toilet — was employed here in the late 1800s to install plumbing fixtures in the Abbey. Several manhole covers bearing the inscription T.CRAPPER & CO. remain today in Westminster Abbey.
Hidden from view, or at least closed to the public, the Jerusalem Chamber is an ornate room in the Abbey’s Deanery. Now used by the Dean of Westminster Abbey for meetings and official functions, the room was constructed in the 1300s as an add-on to the abbot’s quarters.
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| The lower Gothic sections at the front of Westminster Abbey were built in the 15th century and the towers were added in the 1700s. |
History records that in 1413 King Henry IV suffered a stroke while praying in the Abbey’s sanctuary. When the confused and dying King was carried into this room, he asked, “Where am I?” His minions replied: “Jerusalem, Sire.” King Henry knew he was doomed. His death had been prophesied — in the city of Jerusalem.
Dan Brown is not the first author to incorporate Westminster Abbey into his writing. Like Brown, William Shakespeare liberally mixed history with fiction. In his play Henry IV, the Bard adds a sinister twist to the historical record. In Shakespeare’s version, young Prince Henry just can’t wait to be king and tries on the crown as his father lies dying in the Jerusalem Chamber.
The Da Vinci Code controversy is a mere ripple in the thousand-year history of Westminster Abbey. The Abbey continues to draw faithful worshipers — and curious movie fans.
If You Go
Da Vinci Code locations in London:
Westminster Abbey
Open to the public, with self-paced and guided tours every day except Sunday. The church may be closed occasionally for special services and events. www.westminster-abbey.org
King’s College
Home to religious research libraries used by Da Vinci Code characters in their quest to find the Holy Grail. The libraries are generally not open to the public. King’s College buildings are scattered throughout central London.
www.kcl.ac.uk
St. James’s Park
The shadowy character The Teacher kills Teabing’s chauffeur here with a drink of poisoned cognac. Any sinister connections are belied by a walk through one of London’s most lovely (and safe) parks. The park is located between Buckingham Palace and Whitehall.
www.royalparks.gov.uk
Opus Dei
The real-life conservative Catholic organization has offices in London, but these are not open to the public.
National Gallery
Houses Leonardo Da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks painting, which plays a minor role in the book. The gallery is located on the north side of Trafalgar Square. Open daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m; Wednesdays 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. Closed January 1 and December 24-26.
Quietest times are early weekday mornings and 6 – 9 p.m. Wednesdays. www.nationalgallery.org.uk
Fleet Street
Robert Langdon and crew race down this rather nondescript road on their way to Temple Church. The area was once home to London’s newspapers, most of which have now moved away from Fleet Street.
Temple Church
Site of one of several dead ends that The Da Vinci Code characters encounter before visiting Westminster Abbey. Unlike the Abbey, Temple Church seems to have embraced The Da Vinci Code. On Fridays at 1:00 p.m., the Master of the Temple gives a talk on the subject. Temple Church is located just south of Fleet Street. www.templechurch.com
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