Poets' Corner
South Transept of Westminster Abbey / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Poets' Corner is the name traditionally given to a section of the south transept of Westminster Abbey in London, where many poets, playwrights, and writers are buried or commemorated.
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Poets' Corner | |
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Details | |
Established | 1400 |
Location | |
Country | London, England |
Coordinates | 51°29′57″N 0°7′38.50″W |
The first poet interred in Poets' Corner was Geoffrey Chaucer in 1400.[1] William Shakespeare was commemorated with a monument in 1740, over a century after his death. Over the centuries, a tradition has grown up of interring or memorialising people there in recognition of their contribution to British culture. In the overwhelming majority of cases, the honour is awarded to writers.
In 2009, the founders of the Royal Ballet were commemorated in a memorial floor stone and on 25 September 2010, the writer Elizabeth Gaskell was celebrated with the dedication of a panel in the memorial window.[2] On 6 December 2011, former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes was commemorated with a floor stone.[3] On 22 November 2013, the fiftieth anniversary of his death, writer C. S. Lewis was commemorated with a memorial floor stone.[4] The poet Philip Larkin was commemorated with a floor stone dedicated on 2 December 2016.[5][6][7]