Westminster Abbey, gezien vanaf het dak van het klooster kijkend naar het oosten before 1869

John Harrington captured this photogravure of Westminster Abbey from the roof of the cloister, looking east. Westminster Abbey looms large, its stones a testament to centuries of power, tradition, and national identity, but what is left out? This image serves as a reminder of the way photography often monumentalizes certain histories while obscuring others. Who had access to the cloister roofs? What perspectives were not recorded? The labor involved in maintaining such a massive structure, the diverse voices that have echoed through its halls, are all but silent here. Instead, we have the Abbey, grand and imposing, a symbol of permanence in a world of constant change. Consider this photograph not just as a depiction of a place, but as a reflection of the values, hierarchies, and power structures that shape our understanding of history.