King henry III
Also Known as Henry of Winchester
Henry is most famous for rebuilding Westminster Abbey, 1245, in gothic style, at a cost of £55,000 which was then a fortune and in today’s money the equivalent to £15 million; construction (of the second stage) ceased with Henry’s death but was completed during the reign of King Richard II.
If visiting the Abbey take note of the Cosmati pavement in front of the high altar, it is a wonder of medieval Britain.
Henry had a great devotion to Saint Edward the Confessor, was very religious, attended Mass at least once a day and went on many pilgrimages. It was in fact hoped that after his death he would be canonised as a saint because his body was exhumed in 1290, and was in perfect condition, this was a sign of saintly purity
Henry was indeed a keen builder and added many towers to the Tower of London. The Domus Conversorum (House of Converts) was also built in his reign (Chancery Lane) to help convert Jewish people to Christianity, today the site is the Maughan Library of King’s College, Chancery Lane, London.
Another important feature of Henry’s reign was the commencement of Parliament.
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