Poets' Corner

Poets' Corner is an area in the south transept of Westminster Abbey. Over the years, many people have been buried in this corner. They have been buried here in recognition of their contributions to British culture. Most are poets, playwrights, and writers. The first interred in the corner was Geoffrey Chaucer in 1556. When Edmund Spenser was buried nearby, the tradition of burying literary notables in the corner was established. The most recent memorial (6 December 2011) was that of Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. Writer C. S. Lewis will be the next to be commemorated on 22 November 2013, the fiftieth anniversary of his death. Burial in Poet's Corner is not automatic following death. Lord Byron died in 1824, for example, but a memorial in the corner was not raised to him until 1969.