Westminster Abbey is set for a new £13million lobby by Great West door that will be named after King Charles
Visitors to Westminster Abbey will walk in the footsteps of royalty with the creation of a £13 million entrance lobby that is to be named after King Charles.
The new building will for the first time allow the public to use the Great West door, and so follow in the footsteps of Royals and VIPs through the ages.
They will be funnelled there from the north side of the Abbey after passing through new ticketing and security facilities.
And the 'more prestigious' entrance will reward them with an immediate view of the nave.
The King has approved the plans and is expected to attend when work begins later this year.
Visitors to Westminster Abbey will walk in the footsteps of royalty with the creation of a £13 million entrance lobby that is to be named after King Charles
The Abbey insists no public money will be involved. It is fundraising, with contributions expected from trusts and foundations.
The plans were revealed in 2019 but put on hold during Covid. Now the Abbey's Dean and Chapter has decided to restart the project – and this time it will be constructed to honour the monarch. It is expected to be ready in 2026.
The Dean of Westminster, the Very Rev Dr David Hoyle, revealed the decision to restart the lobby project after he was made a Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order in a Windsor investiture last month.
He said: 'We have done the archaeology, so the site is prepared. We have plans the King has seen. We hope we might have it built in the next two to three years.'
The King has approved the plans and is expected to attend when work begins later this year
Ptolemy Dean, the Abbey's consultant architect, who was reportedly a favourite of the late Queen, has designed the single-storey L-shaped lobby to complement the Gothic architecture of the building. It will be 95ft long and 62ft wide.
But leading architectural critic Tim Abrahams said: 'Charles wants new buildings to be as small, anonymous and invisible as possible and this certainly is as small, invisible and anonymous as possible.
'He has helped create an environment where we don't even try to make buildings that grab the attention.
'Instead, we want bland buildings and this is a very bland building, which for £13 million is yet another missed opportunity.'
Breaking ground is expected to take place before Christmas on the site of the 13th Century Great Sacristy, built by Henry III.
The building was demolished in the 1740s. In 2009, a Channel 4 Time Team dig showed the foundations were from Henry's sacristy.
