Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries, Westminster Abbey

Short answer: the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries are the Abbey’s museum, set in the 13th-century triforium more than 16 metres (52 feet) above the church floor. They hold over 300 objects, including 21 royal funeral effigies, Mary II’s Coronation Chair and the Westminster Retable. You need a separate £5 timed ticket on top of your Abbey ticket, and you go up by lift or 108 steps.

Where are the Galleries?

The Galleries are in the triforium, the medieval gallery that runs high around the inside of the church. The Abbey puts them more than 16 metres (52 feet) above the floor. This space was never open to the public before the Galleries opened on 11 June 2018.

They are named for Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. The entrance is through the Weston Tower at the Abbey’s south-eastern corner, next to Poets’ Corner.

How do you get up there?

You get up by lift or by stairs, both inside the Weston Tower. The tower was designed by Ptolemy Dean, the Abbey’s Surveyor of the Fabric, and the Abbey calls it the first major addition to the church since 1745.

• Lift: it holds 13 people and takes about 2 minutes 30 seconds from the Abbey floor. Abbey Marshals help at the bottom and the top.
• Stairs: 108 steps, in 12 flights of 9.

The Abbey says the Galleries are fully accessible to wheelchair users and to visitors who cannot climb stairs. Toilets are in the Galleries lobby.

What is on display?

The Galleries hold over 300 objects from the Abbey’s 1,000 years. The highlights the Abbey names are:

• 21 funeral effigies, dating from the 14th to the early 17th century.
• The Henry VII effigy head, modelled on the king’s death mask.
• Mary II’s Coronation Chair (1689). It was made for the joint coronation of William III and Mary II. William sat in the medieval Coronation Chair, so a second chair was needed for Mary.
• The Westminster Retable, which the Abbey calls England’s oldest surviving altarpiece. It is thought to have been the centrepiece of Henry III’s Abbey.
• The Liber Regalis, a 14th-century guide to staging coronations and royal funerals that still shapes royal ceremonies.
• The Litlyngton Missal, a large medieval service book. Some of its pages can be turned digitally.
• The marriage licence of Prince William and Catherine Middleton (2011).

The view down into the Abbey

The Abbey describes “a spectacular elevated view of the whole Abbey” from the Galleries. From the triforium you look down into the church from above the arches of the main floor.

Take your time at the windows. You cannot photograph it: photography is not allowed anywhere in the Galleries.

The separate ticket and timed slot

The Galleries need their own timed ticket, bought together with an Abbey sightseeing ticket. On the Abbey’s site:

Who	Galleries price
Adult	£5 (about $7)
17 and under	Free
Registered disabled visitors	Free
Abbey Association members	Free

Opening hours are shorter than the Abbey’s. The Abbey lists Monday to Friday 9:30am to 2:30pm, last entry 2:00pm; Saturday last entry 3:00pm. The Galleries are closed on Sundays. Book a slot that leaves time for the main church before or after.

The Galleries are not included with Go City passes, including the London Explorer Pass. The Abbey has also run evening “Lates” in the Galleries; the 5 November 2026 Late was listed at £11.55, including a £1.55 booking fee.

If you would rather go up with a guide, one tour sold here includes Galleries tickets: the VIP Westminster Abbey tour with the Jubilee Galleries, $179, led by a Blue Badge guide in a group of up to 20. It also visits the cloisters and views Buckingham Palace from outside. It is rated 4.7 from 18 reviews of this tour on GetYourGuide, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. For the full price picture, see Westminster Abbey ticket prices.