Episode 3 Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey is a flagship institution,

it's right there at the centre of national life in this country.

Westminster Abbey is the Coronation Church.

The Abbey has been the place

where people commemorate the great men and women of our history.

Here was the origins of Parliament.

I think of the Abbey as being an upbeat place.

The most unusual phone call was from Michelle Obama's Secret Service.

On a standard day, we would probably process 1,000 people per hour.

Even though we are a massive tourist attraction,

we still are very much a living church.

Westminster Abbey represents faith at the heart of the nation.

To think that there have been people

with their eyes turned in the same direction

towards the worship of God in this place for over 1,000 years.

There's a feeling of a really Rolls-Royce musical set-up here.

Being the Queen's choristers,

we really can't afford to let her down.

Quite a lot, I see people crying.

When you sing, it brings tears of joy and sadness.

I do wake up every day and think this is a fantastic place to be.

It's a thrill. Even after 17 years.

Can you believe you've got that to look after?

There's a tremendous sense of being part of something

that goes back all those hundreds of years.

It's a magnificent building.

I feel like I'm part of history just being here.

Autumn at Westminster Abbey

marks the start of a period

known in the Christian calendar as Michaelmas.

The Michaelmas term is rather curious,

because it's like the beginning of the year

in so many different ways.

After people's summer holidays, schools resume.

People think of it almost as the beginning of a new year,

and yet it simply continues the liturgical year

towards the culmination of the liturgical year.

And then beginning again on Advent Sunday,

for a new start four weeks before Christmas,

getting us towards the great Christmas festival.

There is something magical about hearing boys sing the carols.

I mean, Once In Royal David's City,

once they start that, it is just wonderful.

Christmas at the Abbey is a fabulous feast.

Just full of light and colour,

the music is heavenly.

It really does remind us of Christ's coming among us.

The Abbey Choir School is preparing to welcome a fresh intake of boys.

I've been doing this now for more years than I care to remember,

but it is always exciting,

because the school is always completely new each Michaelmas,

and there's a sense of starting the school afresh.

The boys tease me here because I say, once the new boys come back,

"Right, now we're complete, now we can begin."

Eight-year-old George is getting ready

for his first day at his new school.

'It's kind of a lurching feeling,

'like I've got something that I haven't yet got,

'that I can get if I really want to'

and if I train hard, and all that stuff, I can get it.

I can grab it.

I've never slept at school before, so I'm a bit scared.

'The thing that I will miss the most is my family.'

Are you going to miss me?

For over a century,

this small boarding school within the Abbey grounds

has trained boys between the ages of eight and 13

for the world-famous choir.

For the new boys, it's the start of five years,

during which they will eventually sing at daily services

and at some of the nation's most important occasions.

When they arrive, there's always that little bit of apprehension -

how they're going to settle,

whether they're going to be all right.

Because it's a really big thing to be away from home.

I know it's a small school - we've got 35 boys this year -

but to them, and they see all these bigger boys

who are wandering around who know exactly what they're doing,

they seem very big to them.

And I think it just hits them, "Oh, I'm away from home."

'He woke up at six o'clock this morning,'

he was running round the house, going, "I'm going to school today!"

He put on his uniform really early and had to be told to take it off

because he'd get it so grubby.

'I try to encourage independence in the boys,

'I don't want us to be doing everything for them.

'So I like them to be able to dress themselves, for example.'

Stupid, simple little things,

like if you're buying a new shirt, wash it a few times

because the button holes can be really tough for small hands.

'There will be moments when perhaps they feel a little bit wobbly,'

but soon there'll be something for them to do

and they'll get on with it.

But, actually, it's poor mum at home who goes past the empty bedroom,

or is feeling the loss,

and I think it can be very difficult for parents.

It's going to be really weird for her

because I'm always singing in the house

and my brother will be at nursery and my sister will be in reception,

so the house will be pretty quiet.

All summer, and since Luca got in, we've felt fine and confident,

and then today it was like, this is really happening

and he's going to come here and he's going to sleep somewhere else.

So it's felt really odd today,

a little bit like waiting for an exam to start.

It's lovely to have you all here.

We're going to suggest that we say our farewells.

I suggest fairly quickly,

and then the boys are going to be whisked away

and they'll make a start, but a hugely warm welcome for us all.

Just had a...

little anxious moment about half an hour before we left.

But after that...

Yeah, he didn't want to say goodbye, really. He just wandered off.

I didn't even get a kiss.

He shook my hand. First time in his life he did that!

The boys are joining an institution

with a history stretching back over 1,000 years.

Since its transformation from a Benedictine monastery

into the great church that stands today,

Westminster Abbey has been at the centre of our national life.

Bound by its location next to the Palace Of Westminster,

it was here at the Abbey, in its 13th century Chapter House,

that the origins of parliament began when the King and his Council met.

Canon Andrew Tremlett is responsible

for overseeing the Abbey's enduring relationship with the state.

Here we are in the most busy of the squares in London,

traffic all around us.

And on one side we've got Parliament, the legislature,

which we think of as the houses over there,

started its life in a great way within the Abbey itself.

The other side, over there,

we've got the Supreme Court, highest court in the land.

Down on the north side we've got the Treasury, HMRC,

Whitehall, Downing Street.

And on the south side, we've got the Abbey and St Margaret's.

So, in fact, this a fantastic place just to illustrate

what I think is one of the big questions in British life,

which is about where's the place of religion?

And I think it's part of our national character.

We've grown and developed as a nation

and part of that, I think, is about the monastery, the church,

being part of our national texture and tapestry.

Ensuring the Abbey remains at the heart of national life

is the responsibility of the Dean,

assisted by a senior lay executive

and four senior clergy called canons.

The Dean's personal assistant is Dr Non Vaughan O'Hagan.

Every season within the Abbey has got its own flavour,

but I think if there's one particular season

or term that's distinct,

it's got to be the Michaelmas.

Because there's a very strong sense of it

being the beginning of an academic year,

but at the same time,

you've got these great moments leading up to Christmas.

The dates we mark off

have a significance and a resonance

which is over and above just this building,

just this community.

They're nationally important,

not simply for this church, but for everybody.

Our community seems to be a little pebble

and the ripples move out

to communities beyond and people beyond us.

The busy Michaelmas term

begins with a ceremony linked to Britain's recent past.

One that highlights the Abbey's ongoing role

as a keeper of the nation's history.

The relationship between the Abbey and our national life

has a great many different strands to it.

But clearly, one of the important strands

is in terms of the relation with the armed services,

and that's particularly obvious

because of the grave of the Unknown Warrior being here.

And there's another element to that,

which is that the Queen is the head of the armed forces.

So it's a natural relationship.

And the annual commemoration of the Battle Of Britain

is an important feature of our life as an abbey.

-ARCHIVE FOOTAGE

-'In the first ten days of the Battle Of Britain,

'Goering launched 26 major attacks to get command of the air,

'and lost 697 aircraft.

'The British lost 153.'

WINSTON CHURCHILL: 'The gratitude of every home in our island,

'in our Empire, and indeed throughout the world,

'except in the abodes of the guilty,

'goes out to the British airmen,

'who, undaunted by odds,

'unwearied in their constant challenge and mortal danger,

'are turning the tide of the World War by their prowess

'and by their devotion.

'Never in the field of human conflict

'was so much owed, by so many, to so few.'

The Battle Of Britain obviously is remembered

by an enormous number of people

as a key moment in the life of the nation

during the tremendously testing time, during the Second World War,

when the few stood.

It's almost theological, you know,

the few standing for the many,

just as our Lord stands for us, as it were,

hangs for us on the cross. So these few,

these gallant few, stood for us.

Since 1944, the Abbey has held their Service Of Thanksgiving

for those who sacrificed their lives during the Battle Of Britain

in the summer of 1940.

Lovely, super. OK, let's do the...

Minor Canon the Reverend Michael Macey

is responsible for arranging the service.

'Putting together a special service is a jigsaw'

and sometimes all the pieces fall into place exactly,

'other times they just need turning a little bit.'

Roger, on my left here, is our chief honorary steward here.

If he asks you to do something,

follow what he asks, please, ladies and gentlemen.

Unless it's something ridiculous, and then...don't. Um... Sorry.

Well, that rules out practically everything!

It does rule out quite a lot.

Battle of Britain, because it's such a long-standing service,

there's a relatively prescribed format anyway for the service.

Obviously with the veterans not getting any younger,

there is an added complication,

but the Veterans Association are fabulous.

They work very closely with us,

they tell us what their needs are, and we try to accommodate them.

DRUMS PLAY

BRASS INSTRUMENTS PLAY

To see some of these old men walking up the aisle,

tremendously courageous still...

we have a coffee for them before the service

and I say to them sometimes, "Would you like to sit down?"

And they say, "No, I'm better standing up..."

you know, they're all well into their '90s,

my father's generation, and I'm just overwhelmed by it, really.

Once again, we come together on Battle of Britain Sunday

to give thanks for the dedication and heroism

of members of the Royal Air Force and the Allied Air Forces.

Their courage marked a turning point in the war,

for without their bravery, it's hard to see

how the Second World War could have been won.

Immeasurable pride to be at Westminster Abbey,

and there we are on one day of the year,

the centre of everybody's eyes.

It's just very, very reassuring,

heart-warming and you want to do your best for everybody,

and it's getting harder and harder to keep a straight line.

What it really means, I think, is that we're remembering

old friends that we knew who aren't here today,

and that's what saddens one.

There are so few of us left.

I think the count last night was 57 survivors.

I'm not normally an emotional chap, but a lump comes into my throat,

because with me and somewhere else are old friends,

and I feel very much aware of all those wonderful chaps in my squadron

that I first served with as a 19-year-old schoolboy.

Next year is the 60th anniversary

of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

at Westminster Abbey,

the 39th monarch to be crowned here.

Monarchs through history have contributed hugely

to the life of Westminster Abbey.

It's important to get the Coronation clear in our minds.

It's a profoundly important religious service

at which the monarch is not simply crowned but anointed.

So inevitably, the Abbey is important to the monarch.

The chair on which Queen Elizabeth II was crowned

was commissioned by King Edward I in 1300,

and has played a central part at coronations ever since.

To mark the anniversary,

Surveyor of the Fabric Ptolemy Dean

has been designing a new setting to house the chair.

If you think about what the chair is,

the nation has seen it as the embodiment

and the symbolic representation of the monarchy itself,

the heart of the state,

and there's something so wonderfully British about the fact

that the chair should be preserved

in its sort of semi-dilapidated condition.

It is an incredibly important fragment.

The plan for the chair is that it is going to be redisplayed

in the St George's Chapel. Actually, the thought is to enclose it

in a small canopy. The canopy is like a four-poster bed.

It creates a sense of something precious that goes on within.

How tall you make it, how wide you make it,

has an effect on how big or small the chair looks,

and of all the things that you could be asked to tackle

and display and think about,

it is one of the most important objects.

Everyone will be there looking at it in 2013

when we have the 60th anniversary of the coronation,

and it needs to be looking right.

A model of Ptolemy's design is going to be built and tried out

in St George's Chapel before a new, permanent display is created.

It's part of a bigger plan

to transform the Abbey in the 21st century.

The man in charge of major projects is its lay head,

Sir Stephen Lamport, the Receiver General.

It's a very old role in the history of the Abbey.

I mean, it goes back to the medieval period

when it was a job that was probably done by a monk

or possibly by a lay brother,

and in those days it was actually a job designed to take in

the rents and tithes of the abbey and its estates

'from across the country.'

Is that the chapter?

Yes, that's the full site.

'And then with the reformation'

and with the closing down of the monastery,

this job became a job that was given to a lay person.

I think I'm the 31st since the 1530s.

I'm rather like the chief executive of the Abbey.

I'm responsible for all the non-liturgical aspects

of what the abbey is and how it functions,

so I'm responsible for the finances, for the people, for the fabric,

for the fundraising, and we've all in our different ways

been given a very small slice of the Abbey's history

to be custodians for. It's never stopped still.

If you look at the history of the Abbey over the last thousand years,

it's constantly been refreshed and renewed

and we see the changes that we have done and are wanting to do

as being just very much part of that process.

A recent major change has been

the conversion of the old monastic food store, called the cellarium,

into a cafe and restaurant, the first in the Abbey's history.

In October, it was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh.

And, Your Royal Highness, I'd like you to unveil the plaque.

APPLAUSE

Of even greater significance are the current plans

to convert the vast unused space high above the Abbey floor,

called the triforium.

The triforium is an extraordinary place

that Henry III probably designed to be chapels

replicating the space below, and they've never really been used.

We're surrounded here just at the moment by a number of things

that have been collected over the years,

but it's only been used for storage,

and it's a vast and extraordinary place

that goes all the way round the inside of the Abbey.

We're planning to make it accessible to people so that we can

create a display space up here and see some of the wonderful treasures

that we're not able to show at the moment.

The proposals for the development of the triforium

would create the most radical alteration to the exterior

of this World Heritage Site since architect Nicholas Hawksmoor

added his famous West Towers in the 18th century.

The most controversial part of this proposal

is the access into this space,

because there are two current narrow spiral staircases

which are hopeless, and so we have got to make a new spiral staircase

and a lift that's suitable for disabled people.

This is where we're going to hope to put the doorway of the new lift

and stair, and this monument will go up,

so you'll come in through here, and it's the only piece of wall

that there is which doesn't have a window in it,

so this is a rather tentative study which we produced

about how one might make a staircase and a lift access to up here,

and it's a new tower structure that would be partly concealed

by the buttress of the chapterhouse, which is immediately outside here,

and in this crunch of gothic mullions

and tracery and pinnacles, and here's this Henry VII chapel,

and effectively you've got your back to parliament

looking that way, so it's sort of as far into a corner

as you can get into a corner here.

But making changes to a building of such historic importance

is highly sensitive. The Abbey has to undertake

thorough structural and archaeological investigations

before any planning permission can be sought

for their ambitious new plans.

Westminster Abbey has adapted to reflect an ever-changing world,

but some traditions haven't changed since the Middle Ages

when Edward the Confessor built his church here.

We enjoy this one. Very colourful,

see all the judges with all their robes on.

It brings the Abbey alive,

all the processions and all the outfits.

On October 1st, over 600 judges take part in a religious service

that heralds the start of the legal year.

Since the medieval period, the Middle Ages,

judges have come from Temple where the courts are processed along

through Westminster, and come to the Abbey for a service.

Before the Reformation, there was always a communion service

so they had to fast beforehand.

I think it may reveal that I haven't been on a fast for some time.

But it's certainly a time to think about the fact

that you have something responsible to do.

It's a significant reminder of how serious

the things we do really are.

I hover between being in awe of the continuity and the ceremony

and thinking it's all a bit surreal, frankly.

Ever since Edward the Confessor built his palace,

there's been a very obvious geographical link

between the institutions of government and governance,

legal institutions and the Church,

and there is something phenomenally moving

about seeing the judiciary at prayer.

In the 12th century,

Henry II established the High Court in the Palace of Westminster.

Ever since, the Abbey has been a place of reflection

for the judiciary.

It's wonderful seeing so many women actually robing.

I gather that in the past when they had this ceremony,

there were sort of half a dozen women,

and we had a room full of people getting dressed this morning,

so that's jolly exciting, isn't it?

To see the interweaving of constitutional and governmental

with the religious in such an obvious way,

and there are parts of the ceremony which show that so visually

in terms of the wigs and robes that are worn by the legal officers,

in the same way that that's evidenced by the vestments worn by clergy,

that it's not just about the individual.

It's actually about the role, and in the judges' service,

there's a sense that we are not just speaking

on behalf of our own generation

but we're recommitting to a series of legal principles,

to an idea of Christian justice

which has underpinned these islands for centuries.

At the beginning of the legal year,

we gather in the presence of Almighty God,

who is the judge of all

and who knows the secrets of our hearts,

to renew our commitment to the service of the Crown

and of all the people in the cause of justice.

Historically, as head of the judiciary,

the Lord Chancellor allowed the judges to break their fast

by offering them food after the service.

This ritual continues today with a breakfast

held in the Great Hall of the Palace of Westminster.

It must be very quiet in your house now that you and Hugo aren't there.

As the legal year begins,

the first year boys are settling into their new school.

In addition to their usual schoolwork,

for one hour every morning, they have singing lessons

as part of their training to become choristers.

Thank you, Ned.

# Magnificat in B Flat

The leap that they make from their former life

up until the age of eight to being a full-blown member of the choir here

is not really a leap. It's made gradually,

so in their first year, they are doing very little singing in the Abbey.

we're just trying to give them a grounding

not just physically with their singing,

but also with a theoretical grounding in music,

so they understand the notation that's in front of them.

OK, now, can you be really advanced?

And...

THEY SING

I enjoy actually singing the pieces.

That's probably my favourite part,

but I don't know about you, Angus.

Mine is Mr Quinney playing the piano.

It's really, really professional,

and I'll probably only be able to play like that

when I'm only about 20 years old.

OK, let's do it a little bit faster...

HE SINGS

THEY SING

Hang on, hang on, hang on...

I hope they're having fun in my rehearsals.

They have to be very focused rehearsals, though,

because that's one of the skills they need to be in the choir

so, without being draconian or miserable about it,

they have to know that when they're given an instruction

it's important they listen to that and are able to do it straight away.

Let's not go back to making a mistake once we've corrected it.

One and two...

THEY SING

OK.

We never know if we're all going to come in at the same time.

You're like, "Come on, make sure everyone comes in at the same time."

'And then usually we do.'

THEY SING

Someone did a "G"! Someone did the "G"!

HE SINGS

You've got to just do the vowels and join them up. It's tricky.

This week, we've been practicing Magnificat Nunc Dimiits in...

That was last week.

No, we haven't really done anything this week...

-We haven't really done any songs yet...

-Last week then,

it was Magnificat in D...sharp, I think.

-No, D flat.

-D flat.

-D flat, yeah.

They're doing really well, they're a really lively bunch

and very bright and some very good musicians.

In fact, they're all very strong,

so...they're a bit of a handful,

but in a good way.

We want lively, interesting people.

At the beginning of their second year,

boys are formally accepted into the choir.

'Well, one of the great things about these choirs is that every year,

'there is a slight change of personnel'

through the natural processes of people leaving

and going somewhere else.

It enables a new generation to come into their own.

'And giving the surplice,

'which is the white smock-like robe that members of the choir here wear

'to the boys who've completed a full year of training.'

It's a sort of rite of passage, as it were.

The white surplice was originally worn in winter months

by clergy to conceal fur cassocks,

but became established as a chorister's gown

by the 14th century.

The Dean presents them with the surplice

and they make promises to behave well in the choir and to try their best,

and it's a symbolism that they've gone through their apprenticeship

and they're now ready to take part in the services.

It's the duty of the choir to lead the people of God in worship.

By its conduct, to set an example...

'You could feel everybody's eyes watching you

and you just thought, "This is the start

"of actually becoming a chorister."

Do you promise to be a faithful member of this choir?

ALL: I do.

Do you promise to do your best at all times?

ALL: I do.

It's quite nerve-wracking just waiting for it

and remembering what to say when you actually get your surplice

presented from the Dean.

I often think, "Gosh, in a few years' time you'll be very different,

"you'll have all sorts of experiences and be moving on..."

and it's quite exciting to try and capture that moment, for a moment.

May Almighty God accept the offering of your worship,

and lead you in the light and obedience of Christ.

-Amen.

-ALL: Amen.

When you wear that surplice you feel like you're setting an example.

-I felt quite proud.

-Yeah, I felt quite proud.

The wearing of special clothing for religious rituals

dates back to the Old Testament,

which calls for sacred garments to be worn

when ministering in a holy place.

Let me have a look at that Advent frontal...

Maureen Jupp runs a small group of volunteers

responsible for maintaining the nearly 400 vestments

that Abbey clergy and lay staff use throughout the year.

You do realise this material was given by Edward VII?

-Oh, right.

-For his coronation.

Now retired, she applied for a job as a verger at the Abbey in 1978.

My husband said, "That would be a good job for you,

"you like history and church",

and I said they would never accept a woman.

Well, in those days they didn't,

and he said, "Well you'll never know until you try."

It was five interviews in three months.

You had to prove that you could actually do the work,

as they said, of a man,

so my little test was, the four candle sticks

that are around the Unknown Warrior's grave,

I had to carry them from the crypt up to the Unknown Warrior's grave,

and that proved that I was strong enough.

And then they phoned my husband and said,

would it be all right if they offered me the job...

And so that's how I became a verger of Westminster Abbey, 34 years ago.

As soon as I got to the Abbey, having a sort of woman's eye,

I found that the vestments were really in a poor state of repair

and so I had some friends to start,

and as I say, two of the ladies are still with me 30 years later.

You've got to go down the side seam, don't forget, don't take it out.

-Have we?

-Yeah, along the top.

So, you have chaps coming in for their cassocks

to have buttons on or taken up,

so you know there's work all the time.

ANNOUNCEMENT: 'Welcome to Westminster Abbey, and five o'clock evensong

'will be sung in the choir and all visitors are welcome.

'Please make your way up the left-hand side of the nave

'and be seated by the vergers.'

"A refreshment car is available for passengers that wish to take it"(!)

It is slightly that, isn't it?

We're sitting now in my favourite part of Westminster Abbey.

We're in the heart of the building.

We're in a part that public aren't allowed normally to reach.

It's the shrine of Edward the Confessor, the founder of the Abbey,

the original builder of the building before the Norman Conquest.

And this fantastic space was created for him

by King Henry III as a wonderful celebration of his predecessor.

And if this doesn't convert you to Christianity,

I don't know what would.

You are above everything else around you,

entombed and encapsulated in this heavenly stonely paradise.

One's absolutely back in the 13th and 14th century sitting here.

Noted for his piety, Edward the Confessor, was made a saint in 1161,

and his burial place has been a site of pilgrimage ever since.

Today is St Edward's Day, and pilgrims from all over the country

are embarking on a spiritual and physical journey to the Abbey.

Well, we're setting off just after six and we have to be there by 11

for the Eucharist, and it's five hours and it's 15 miles,

so that's three miles an hour which doesn't actually sound that fast

but that is a fast walking pace, so we're going to be pushing it

to get there, but we'll do our best.

Father Martin Powell is leading a group of 15 pilgrims

from St Edward's Church in New Addington

on the outskirts of South London to pray at the shrine of St Edward.

The Canon in charge of welcoming the pilgrims at the Abbey

is Jane Hedges.

Well, Edwardtide's the time all around St Edward's Day,

so, it's actually St Edward's Day today, October 13th,

that's the day his body was translated from its original resting place

in front of the high altar into the wonderful shrine that we now have,

and it's been there ever since, and all of that happened

back in the 13th century.

This year's been a real tough year for us.

I've lost five friends,

my dad died this year, my brother-in-law,

my sister-in-law and a friend, so it's been a tough year.

I'm 78 on September 3rd, I was.

And I thought, I've walked to Croydon,

let's try it to London,

and so long as the Lord's with me, with a bit of luck I'll make it.

It's quite a spiritual day for me really, because

I started chemo three weeks ago

and I wanted to connect with God on the walk

and just prove something to myself that I'm not defined by my illness.

In a way, we've recovered pilgrimage to St Edward the Confessor in recent years,

and it occurred to me and Canon Jane Hedges, my colleague,

that this is a great place, but at the heart of it

is our saint,

a very rare survival from the Middle Ages,

and if we're to encourage holiness in people

and in our nation in our own day,

then one way of doing it is to encourage pilgrimage.

Since the earliest days of Christianity,

pilgrimage has been a way for Christians to reaffirm their faith.

Traditionally, many of these journeys were undertaken barefoot.

We're a bit footsore, but we're OK.

You can see how footsore we are.

If it hadn't been for my friends, I wouldn't have made it.

It's been a brilliant experience, it's great.

Come on, next year!

My feet really, really hurt. Blisters.

But glad that we're almost here now.

-Did you walk all the way?

-We did, yes.

-Fantastic, fantastic!

And then I gather you walked barefoot across the bridge?

-Just across the bridge, yes.

-Wonderful.

-Well, I hope it's been a good journey.

-It's been fantastic.

I know that he's going to be with me

and he's see me through the journey, which he did.

I've got sore feet, but other than that I'm quite all right.

Coming into the chapel, when we go to St Edward's tomb,

the whole thing will be finished.

The heart of Christianity isn't an institution,

it's a movement inspired by experiences of God,

beliefs about God. It's not rites and ceremonies,

it's a whole way of life.

The Reverend Vernon White is the Canon Theologian

responsible for religious study and teaching.

A Canon Theologian's role above all

is bringing people into conversation about some of the mysteries

of the whole of life, not just what goes on in church.

And to try and bring together, for example, the history

which is embedded in the Abbey, quite literally,

in the monuments and the building, and to ask the question,

in a lecture or seminar... a private conversation,

"what are God's purposes through that history?"

Two years ago, the Abbey received a request from the army training centre

at Pirbright in Surrey, asking if they could visit with their new recruits.

The young soldiers come quite near the beginning of their training

to a day devoted to what is called the realities of war,

and part of that visit includes standing around that grave of the Unknown Warrior.

I'm just going to say a little bit about where we are,

although you may well know about the tomb of the Unknown Warrior here.

Put here in 1920 at the suggestion of a British Army chaplain,

David Railton, wrote to the Dean of Westminster at the time,

who discussed it with the Prime Minister, Lloyd George,

and they agreed it would be a good idea

for an unknown warrior to be buried here.

Four bodies of unknown soldiers were disinterred from military cemeteries

around where fighting had taken place in the First World War.

A brigadier was blindfolded,

the brigadier just put his hand on one of the four.

That was the one that was chosen,

so nobody knows at all who it is who is here.

I feel it's quite important for us to come and visit

and pay respects to the Unknown Warrior.

Seeing something like this, brings home the realities of war.

When you're watching films and things, you can't relate to it,

whereas when you're here, it really does hit hard,

that one day we could be in the Unknown Warrior's shoes.

For me personally, this is really special,

because one of my friends, I lost one of my really good friends,

about a week ago, she got buried.

And she was the third female to pass away, so coming here today,

is a special occasion for me, personally.

In 1928, ten years after the First World War ended,

people began to lay crosses on the green between St Margaret's Church

and the Abbey, in memory of those who had died.

Every November, the Field of Remembrance stands as a symbol

of the nation's respect for those who have given their lives

serving their country.

'At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,

'the First World War ended...

'That date, that time

'have become a symbolic moment on which to pause in silent remembrance and gratitude.'

I see the spiritual future and mission of the Abbey

always to engage with the wider world

to look outwards, and the Abbey has increasingly found itself

in a role where it can offer hospitality

and a safe place for real conversation and meeting

between people who have come from different faiths,

from no faith and also from different churches, of course,

not just the Anglican church.

Today we're having a group of Muslims to have

a Muslim-Christian dialogue.

It's about interfaith marriage, and obviously during the course

of the day, the Muslims within the group would like to pray. We've

decided that this is probably the best space to allow them to do so.

But I understand that it's important for any space in which

Muslim prayers take place not to have any images

of either animals or humans in them, so things like this which have animal depictions on them,

I'm removing them from the room in order to make it a space that's comfortable for them.

If we don't welcome people properly, then what are we here for, really?

So that's what I'm doing. Obviously they're praying towards Mecca

but precisely in which direction that is in relation to this room

I'm not entirely clear, but I can only assume they would know precisely

in which direction they need to use this room, but it's roughly in that direction.

I'm looking for a meeting with the Christian-Muslim Forum?

In Jerusalem chamber. If you go...

Canon Andrew Tremlett is hosting this event

for the Christian-Muslim Forum.

My role as canon rector includes relationships with Parliament,

Whitehall, other faith communities.

So this is a great place to launch these interfaith, ethical marriage guidelines

for Muslims and Christians.

Good afternoon, everybody, and a warm welcome to Westminster Abbey.

That idea is that these will now be published for all churches,

all mosques across the country, as guidance.

It's not that this becomes law set in stone that they have to use,

but it's being offered as pastoral best practice.

And the proof will be in the pudding.

The growing and increasing number of interfaith marriages, at least a couple a week.

The need is increasingly there.

I have been aware of inter-faith marriages happening

in this country for 30 years or so.

This is the first time I have seen religious leaders,

especially from the Muslim and Christian traditions,

coming together and openly discussing some of the difficult issues.

So I think Westminster Abbey has set an example here

by helping to launch a very high profile event like this,

which makes it easier for mosques and synagogues,

other churches, temples, to also hold similar discussion in their premises.

THEY PREY

It's a national issue and this is a national place,

A place of national importance where

events that matter in the life of the country get marked.

It is a great honour to be here, to think about this big religious and social issue.

If people are in any way worried that the Christian church is

straying onto territory that isn't its own,

I think I'd want to say that all political life, all social life, has some sort of moral dimension,

I believe it has some sort of spiritual dimension, too,

so in fact life is seamless, you can't separate out one bit from another.

# Praise him, praise him Praise him, praise him

# Praise the everlasting king. #

I could spend the next half hour on that verse but I haven't got time to, so listen up...

As well as singing at daily worship and special services,

the Choir produces one or two commercial recordings a year.

You can never really recreate an actual building itself,

with the best gadgets in the world.

what you really want to do is capture

the real McCoy, as it were, rather than trying to fake it with electronics.

# Praise him, still the same forever... #

PAPER RUSTLES # Slow to chide and swift to bless... #

So we're going to have to edit the recording whenever

there's a page turn, are we? We've got to get the page over sooner and silently.

We needed a lot of rehearsal to make the hymns perfect.

We've been banged on the head about words, getting the words

exactly right, cos that's crucial, especially with hymns.

The word "Prrr", remember, you can pitch the "R", boys.

Just the R.

ALL: # Prrrr... #

For us, it's principally an eavesdropping exercise.

I don't want them to do anything that they wouldn't normally do,

maybe I might ask them for a little more text than they might

normally do, this is a disc of hymns. I'm going to ask them to

perhaps put in a little more, dare I say, sincerity in to the delivery

of the text than they might do in the environment of a service.

Very optimistic, because it's such a well oiled ship, that this will go fabulously well.

James? I think we've got talk-back going now. Hurrah. Yes. Good.

-In that case, I suggest we start with Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven.

-Good plan.

-You happy to go?

-Yeah, go for it.

MUSIC: Praise My Soul The King Of Heaven

When you're singing evensong, you're only singing to the amount of

people in the Abbey,

but when there's a recording, many more people

will hear you and you feel pleased that you're letting more people hear you.

# Praise the everlasting king. #

Nobody gets rich recording hymns or sacred choral music.

It is not about making money.

The underlying rationale

for recording is not actually commercial,

it is far more interesting than that. There really is an ambassadorial role.

The thing is to have the work of the choir out there, because the choir is part of the DNA of the Abbey.

# Praise him, praise him Praise him, praise him

# Glorious in his faithfulness. #

Autumn turns to winter. In the basement of the Abbey,

the Works Department is focussed on the heating.

Right, here we are, this is the Abbey's boiler room,

supplies all the heat for the Abbey, and the most important radiator, the one in the Dean's office.

If that goes, we're in trouble.

Keeping the Abbey warm is quite a challenge,

we've got three big boilers here which are more than

capable of doing it, but because we've got all the doors open

all day, there are so many draughts coming through where the

public are in and out, it's very difficult sometimes to keep the heat

in the Abbey. We had some issues the past week.

Thursday we had a power failure, myself and Wayne, the electrician,

we were here till 1:30 in the morning.

As I live in Chelmsford in Essex, it was easier for me to try and sleep in our canteen.

The things we do for the Abbey, honestly!

2013 marks a major event for the Abbey,

the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation.

After five months of planning, Ptolemy Dean is testing a model

of the plinth he has designed to present the ancient Coronation Chair.

This is amazing.

We'll see whether it is too high or too low...

You'll have the hardest lift, you need to lean over to pick it up.

It's been conserved and structurally stabilised

so it's in very good condition, better condition than it has been for a very long time.

Because we've never done a four-man lift before, we usually use planks and things like that,

so actually touching it makes me a little anxious.

But they're very good.

OK...

We were worried that if we left it in the centre of a vast expanse

it would look miniscule, but it actually it looks rather...

When it's got the red drape it will look quite nice

and I think we need to get in place the metal railing that they'll propose to put here,

so that we can then gauge where the right line is to stop people from coming too close.

One wants it to look timeless, effectively, and hopefully to

last till the next coronation or the coronation after that.

The design now has to be approved by the Abbey and Buckingham Palace

before the permanent plinth can be built out of oak in time for next year's celebration.

Early December sees the end of the liturgical year.

Preparations begin for the great festival of Christmas.

Christmas is obviously a very beautiful and wonderful season,

and for us the birth of our lord Jesus Christ is wonderful and we

have to prepare for it, we prepare for Christmas through advent.

So advent, the four weeks before Christmas, are supposed to be

a solemn and penitential time when we remember death, judgment, heaven and hell.

That has to be living alongside the fact that probably for two

months or even three, the shops are full of Santa and decorations

and Christmas songs and people are doing their shopping and

thinking about how they can afford Christmas and all the rest of it.

Christmas in the shop is a very busy time for us, we usually start

our Christmas here in October

and have a three-month build-up to the big day.

We get all our advent calendars and our Christmas cards out, then nearer

to Christmas we have all our decorations out and dress our windows.

There is an expectation from the customers that shops will be

dressed and ready for Christmas earlier and earlier every year,

but we tend to stick to October because we're not a high street shop,

we have to remember that we're at the Abbey.

I'm searching for gifts for Christmas.

We get some money from the headmaster go to on Amazon and buy some gifts we would like.

We've been given £26 to spend on our presents,

and that's quite a lot and the hard thing is how to spend it.

-How much is it?

-It's £33.

-And how much is the limit?

-26.

The headmaster keeps them in his office when they arrive,

but he wraps them up and we open them on Christmas Day.

As soon as everyone gets up we are allowed to go downstairs and open them.

Christmas at the Abbey is a wonderful time.

Most of the people who come to the Abbey are visitors,

so you're joining with their fun and sense of celebration and being on holiday. For a lot of people,

they're coming out of the Abbey and saying, "This is the best bit of Christmas for me."

It's Monday morning today and we're overseeing the erection of the Christmas tree on

North Green, and that's what I like about our job here,

the Works Department get involved in all types of activities and jobs that go on.

One minute we're here all night long trying to get the heating going,

the next moment we're doing a nice job like this, erecting a Christmas tree.

That's what makes it such a wonderful place to work.

RADIO: 'They're having problems with their radiators in their offices, and also the Deanery.'

OK, John, I'll get on to it.

# Once in Royal David's city... #

The Choir is preparing for the annual Christmas Carol concert

which will be attended by over 1,000 people.

I very much enjoy it because it is the only non liturgical occasion,

in other words, not a service, where people get to sing with the Abbey Choir.

And also, I get to conduct them, I'll turn around and I encourage them, cajole them into it a bit.

The Choir enjoys it because normally we sing, we sing day after day,

all through the year,

and never get a round of applause.

It is quite nice when you are in a concert situation

to be able to look the audience in the eye and know that if they like it,

they are going to show their appreciation.

# Once in Royal David's City... #

Once in Royal David's City is quite a famous carol,

and right at the beginning it has one of the most wanted solos.

It's traditional each year for one boy to do that solo.

# Once in Royal David's city In a manger for his bed... #

It's really wanted because you're quite exposed

and everyone can hear you and that is quite a nice feeling.

It's just a great piece and a great carol to sing,

and it's right near the beginning of the concert and it's quite special.

We put a lot of effort into it,

and a lot of time into rehearsing those pieces, and we still haven't absolutely

sort of...well, we don't actually know who's doing the solo yet.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

it's a very great pleasure to welcome you here after evensong to this brief moment

where we are going to light the Christmas tree.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Ding dong, merrily on high In heav'n the bells are ringing... #

I'm really looking forward to Christmas.

I'm looking at my advent calendar

and saying "Go quicker, go quicker go, quicker..."

I like carols cos they're all cheery and it means and Christmas is soon!

For the first and second year boys,

term ends in the middle of December, but the older choristers

are on duty until the afternoon of Christmas Day itself.

People say, "When do you break up for Christmas?

"Christmas day? That's not very good."

But actually we do so much in Christmas period,

we go to the cinema, we go to the theatre. Then we have all the big services. They are always exciting.

On Christmas Eve we get a movie to watch because we have Midnight Mass,

which is really fun.

I know it's midnight, which is tiring, but it's still really fun.

Then on Christmas Day you go down to the library and you get a stocking, it's really good.

Then you go down to the music room and you get your presents and your clothes, it's really fun.

Yeah, it's really fun.

Christmas at Westminster Abbey.

And somehow there is a timelessness about this place. It is like being a child all over again.

It sends a shiver up and down your spine.

It can bring a tear to the eye sometimes.

It is always spine-tingling hearing the Once In Royal,

because I sang Once In Royal quite a few times at my dad's parish,

so I get a sense of what they are going through. My stomach is in a knot.

We have a bit of nerves, but not, not...

-But we're professional, so...

-Yeah, we're professionals!

I'm performing from the organ loft, so I'll be quite high above the congregation.

I feel quite nervous, because it's very, very exposed and there's no organ part playing with me

and there's no other choral part singing with me.

# Once in Royal David's City

# Stood a lowly cattle shed...#

'Speaking very personally,'

I find much of the life of the Abbey intensely moving,

and I find it almost impossible, personally, to sing all the Christmas hymns, as I find

myself breaking down at some point, I just can't complete the verse.

# Jesus Christ, a little child. #

Walking round the Abbey when it's completely empty,

that's when this building really does wrap itself around you in this most beautiful

and hauntingly wondrous way.

And I constantly have to pinch myself sometimes that what I am part of, what I am helping to look after,

is something of such extraordinary beauty and extraordinary importance.

That, to me, is pretty overwhelming sometimes.

It is a very special place to work and live.

And Christmas makes it doubly so, I think.

Whatever kind of destabilises our world in other ways, in the secular world,

and whatever we go through, I think that in places like the Abbey, I would like to think that the music

and the liturgical worship of the Abbey will continue and will flourish.

ALL SINGING "ONCE IN ROYAL DAVID'S CITY"

The Abbey will continue to represent faith at the heart of the nation,

and I'm absolutely confident that faith will not fly from the heart of our nation.

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