Colourful illustration of Poets' Corner within Westminster Abbey

Voice and Verse

Poets’ Corner is a literary pilgrimage like no other. Join us this season as we celebrate the power of words and stories penned by historic and emerging poets. Discover new ways of seeing the world through their captivating verses.

Upcoming events

Photograph of member of staff leading a drop in talk, with visitors listening while standing in Poets' Corner

Voice and Verse 15-Minute Talk: Poets' Corner - November

5th - 26th November 2024

Poets' Corner
Included in the price of admission

Photograph of visitors looking at the memorial to William Shakespeare within Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey

Voice and Verse Tour: Beyond Poets’ Corner

12th October - 23rd November 2024

The Abbey
£10

Photograph of an empty cloister with one woman reading a book within Westminster Abbey

Voice and Verse Bookshelf

1st October - 30th November 2024

Cloister entrance
Included in the prices of admission

Close-up, head on photograph of a book being read by a person within Westminster Abbey

Voice and Verse Workshop: Strokes of Poetry

Saturday, 23rd November 2024

1.30pm - 4.00pm
Cheyneygates
£25

Poets' Corner: Portals of Discovery graphic

Voice and Verse evening: Portals of Discovery

Wednesday, 27th November 2024

6.30pm - 9.30pm
The Abbey
SOLD OUT

Photograph of one wall of Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey

Poet Laureates

What is a Poet Laureate and which of them are memorialised at the Abbey? Curator Dr Susan Jenkins examines nine historic poet laureates, sharing details about their lives, the context in which they were writing and example lines of their poetry. 

Poet Laureates

Poets of Poets’ Corner

Go beyond their famous words to find out more about the lives and legacies of eight poets, across 700 years of English poetry, before hearing one of those poems being performed in this historic building. Each week in September and October, a new poet's video will be released.

Photograph of female marshal looking at monuments within Westminster Abbey

Geoffrey Chaucer

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Photograph of male member of Abbey staff looking into the distance, standing within Poets' Corner

Edmund Spenser

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Photograph of female member of Abbey staff looking up, wearing red marshal gown

Ben Jonson

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Photograph of male member of Abbey staff looking up, standing within Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey

John Milton

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Photograph of member of staff looking up at a memorial within Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

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Photograph of member of staff looking down at memorials on the floor in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey

The Brownings

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Photograph of member of staff looking off camera while standing in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey

The Brontës

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Photograph of member of staff looking down at a memorial in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey

Laurence Binyon

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Poetry for young people

Use our collection of resources at school or home to help you explore poetry across the centuries.

Photograph of member of staff looking at Shakespeare memorial within Poets' Corner

A place called Poets' Corner

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Worship and music

This October and November, discover poetry woven into some of the regular services and explore hymns as examples of poetry in more detail with our podcast.

Photograph of front covers of poetry anthologies sold in Westminster Abbey's shop

Shop

From the The Canterbury Tales to Shakespeare's sonnets to poems of World War One, continue pursuing poetry, and other forms of literature, by checking out the books in the Abbey shop.

Explore the online shop

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