Monument to John Lord Russell Westminster Abbey

Images of Britain: Monument to John, Lord Russell, Westminster Abbey, London

There are over 3,000 tombs within Westminster Abbey in London. They include kings, queens, generals, poets, writers and various public figures from Britain's history as a nation.

This is a monument to John, Lord Russell (died 1584) in the chapel of St Edmund in the abbey. An effigy of his infant son, Francis, lies at his feet. Both father and son are buried in Westminster Abbey.

The carving is in alabaster and marble. It shows Russell's effigy reclining in his ermine-lined red Parliamentary robes, with his head supported on his elbow. The inscriptions are by his wife Elizabeth in Latin, Greek and English.

The monument has been restored several times since its installation in 1584. It was last repainted in the 1960s.

The church holds the graves or commemorations of many famous people in British history. These include Jane Austen, John Dryden, Isaac Newton, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Charles Darwin, Olaudah Equiano (Gustavus Vassa), Ernest Bevin and many more. Poet's Corner is part of the South Transept where several poets and writers are either buried or commemorated here.

An interesting fact about the abbey is that it claims to contain Britain's oldest door.