Westminster Abbey Services

I can only speak to evensong, but no, you may not wander around the abbey either before or after the service. You could visit in the morning, then simply return for the service. People begin lining up for the evensong service about 25 minutes before you are allowed in.

You are guided/ushered to your seat before evensong and the same when you exit. You can’t just wander off.

As a (lapsed) Episcopalian, I'll add this about the services.

Holy Communion and Morning Prayer are said services using the liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer. They may have congregational hymns that are sung as a processional, a recessional and at another point during the service. TBH, these services would be for the local congregation.

A Sung Eucharist is a Holy Communion service where the celebrants and a choir sing the liturgy. It's longer and more involved. If it's a particular celebration it may include incense particularly if it is "High" church.

Evensong is a sung service for the closing of the day. It's short, usually the music is beautifully done in the English cathedrals that offer this service. I think it was a combination of Vespers and Compline which were set hours of service in a monastic day.

There is also a service called Evening Prayer which is a said service using the same liturgy that is used for Evensong.

I'd not take a 3-year old to any of these services unless they are used to going to services at home and can sit and or play quietly.

For Evensong, I usually wear what I've had on for touring during the day which would include athletic shoes but I'd not go in capris, I'd go in long pants. In most English cathedrals where I've attended Evensong, there are a number of tourists visiting for the service. For a Sung Eucharist I'd not wear athletic shoes, I'd want to have a nicer shoe and at least smart casual clothing.

You cannot attend a worship service to gain entry to the Abbey for visiting the interior features. If you look at the schedules for the various services, they are held in designated area such as the Lady Chapel, St. Faith Chapel, nave, quire, etc. and a special entrance is designated. Cables are set up to rope off these areas and access routes during the service, so you cannot simply "wander around" the rest of the church instead of attending the service.

If you want to visit the church in the morning, the Abbey is open for tourist visits at 9:30 on most days. You can simply get there ahead of time and join the queue for entry, or you can book a morning entry time in advance:

https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us

If you want to enter for religious reasons you can do so free at any time. You can't though then turn into a general tourist.

So when you walk into the West Door to participate in the worship service, where are you seated at? The reason I am asking is I really would like to participate in the service but also hoped to glace a view of the poets corner. Do you get to walk by that or do you get a seat before the choir isles?

It looks like you would walk right past Poet’s Corner if you attend Morning Prayer at 7:30 in St. Faith’s Chapel. Entry is from the Great West Door.

Tom, nice map!

The times I've been to Evensong I was seated in the North Transept. See the 2 red dots to the left/west of #9? There were chairs set from there back to 7. You are shown to a seat so you don't have a choice about where to go. There may have been people seated on the opposite of the crossing in the South Transept which is where Poets Corner is BUT you just can't get up and walk around to see things.

I suspect for the morning service in the chapel they have a walkway roped off so you are funneled directly there but I've not been so that is speculation. For Evensong there are definitely roped off areas and many Vergers and assistants directing congregants.

I'm surprised at the map because although I've been in a number of times I did not realized the North and South transepts are not the same width.

I’ve attended morning prayer several times and from the West Door church entrance you are ushered along the right side aisle to St Faith’s Chapel. Usually I was focused on not being late but one day I finally looked up as I approached the Chapel door and realized hey, this is poet’s corner—cool! So I suppose if you walk slooowly (prayerfully?) you can discreetly observe a few poets’ names on the floor and walls as you walk into the Chapel but on the way out of the service it would be too obvious to do so because you’d have to be looking behind you mostly.

St Faith’s is a small and lovely Chapel, worth visiting even during a tourist visit of the Abbey for the peace and quiet behind that thick door and massive walls.