As far as we know, there has been a church on this site since before 1300 AD. The oldest artefact in the church is a 14th-century stained glass window, showing St Edward the Confessor, one-time king, holding a ring and sceptre (local legend says the sapphire in the cross on top of the Imperial State Crown is the very stone from that ring). The Abbey Chapel, which was built in 1638 AD and sits behind the choir stalls, is the oldest existing part of the church that we see today - the tower was built in 1815 and most of the rest of church in 1861. The bells were cast at the famous Whitechapel Foundry - the same place as Big Ben.