photo used by permission of the Abbey
When Sir Christopher Wren was tasked with redesigning Westminster Abbey in 1697, his extravagant vision was brought to life by the Abbey’s Head Carpenter Elizabeth Gregory. In an era when men ruled supreme, this remarkable woman oversaw every one of the hundreds of carpenters working for the Abbey for over fifteen years.
Discover the mysterious life of Elizabeth Gregory, as Olivia takes us on-location to Westminster Abbey with Community Engagement Officer Aaron Paterson.
A complete transcript of this episode is available here.
Hear Aaron Paterson turn some of Elizabeth Gregory’s invoices into an utterly delightful ‘spoken-word poem’ at our 2024 Book Launch Celebration in London. [Aaron’s section begins at around 40:10]
Hear more behind-the-scenes fun from our 2021 Lost Women of England Tour here. Find more information about upcoming tours here, or enjoy a virtual tour of the Queen’s Gallery here.
photo by Aaron Paterson
image used by permission of Westminster Abbey
image used by permission of Westminster Abbey
image used by permission of Westminster Abbey
photo by Σπάρτακος
portrait by Godfrey Kneller, 1711 in the National Gallery, London
photo by Marc Nelson
Aaron Paterson leads the Community Engagement programme at Westminster Abbey and runs a small media company supporting cultural organisations to deliver quality digital content. Alongside these roles Aaron is a trustee for SouthWestFest, a health and culture festival in Westminster, and sits on the working group for the Families in Museums Network. All of these roles are underpinned by a passion for the undervalued and overlooked stories that highlight marginalised people.
Music featured in this episode included:
“Agnus Dei” and “L’ave Maris Stella” performed by Solis, Choir of the Sun
Selected works from the Archive of Recorded Church Music