Graduate student contribution

Pedagogical Partner contribution

Home > Encyclopedia > Placeography > Riverside features

Westminster Stairs

roseAgas Map
roseModern Map
roseList documents mentioning Westminster Stairs
roseList variant names and spellings
As Westminster Abbey’s main outlet to the Thames, Westminster Stairs provided direct access to Westminster Hall from its littoral position. The stairs were likely located a few dozen metres south of present-day Westminster Bridge and extended into a small causeway for easier and more abundant boat access at low tide. As the main aquatic access point to Westminster Abbey, which was a hub of royal, noble, and city ceremony, these stairs served an important role in city processions. Even the 1660 entry of Charles II into London was followed by a procession that, at one point, moved onto a barge from Westminster Stairs (The Manner of the Solemnity). Most processions like these were, upon departure and arrival, accompanied by canon volley and cheering.
Like the dozens of stairs along the Thames in London, Westminster Stairs played its part in the intricate navigational system designed for rivermen, who would ferry travelers and transport goods along the Thames. Artistic depictions of these stairs showcase the various barges and wherries one might see navigating the Thames, and these scenes also capture a bustle that is generally ascribed to the activity of rivermen. Indeed, references to Westminster Stairs accord with Peter Ackroydʼs popular characterization of London’s rivermen as eccentric, boisterous, and intrusive gondoliers (Ackroyd 139–143). Thomas Middleton specifically summons the uproarious watermen at Westminster Stairs in his A Faire Quarrell, in which a character is asked if canon-like speech is still in fashion and responds, as long as there are watermen at Westminster Stairs (Middleton sig. E2v).
Claude de Jonghe, The Thames at Westminster Stairs. 1630. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Claude de Jonghe, The Thames at Westminster Stairs. 1630. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

References

  • Citation

    Ackroyd, Peter. Thames: The Biography. New York: Anchor Books, 2009. Print.

    This item is cited in the following documents:

  • Citation

    Middleton, Thomas. A Faire Quarrell. London: Printed by George Eld, 1617. STC 17911.

    This item is cited in the following documents:

  • Citation

    The Manner of the Solemnity of the Coronation of His Most Sacred Majesty King Charles. London: Printed by T.C., 1660. Wing 1891:26.

    This item is cited in the following documents: