What the Dean of Westminster would save from a burning Abbey

Last Wednesday morning, the Cellarium Café of Westminster Abbey was filled with excitable French visitors. It was the press preview of Notre-Dame de Paris, The Augmented Exhibition. ‘What do you make of our croissants?’ I ask the sharp suited French curator. ‘Comme ci, comme ça’ he chuckles, taking another bite.

While Notre Dame undergoes restoration following the 2019 fire, its stewards have toured the world via an immersive digital exhibition, now doing a stint in the Chapter House of Westminster Abbey. With an iPad-like device in hand, visitors become une mouche sur le mur of major events in the cathedral’s story: the 12th century building site, Napoleon’s coronation, Viollet-le-Duc’s creation of the iconic 19th century spire.

Visitor engagement differs from country to country, the PRs tells me. In the US, average visitor time was 60 minutes. In Germany, it was 96 minutes. In China, they adored the jewel-like rose windows. I wonder what London stats will skew towards.