This summer saw the grand opening of the newly constructed Diamond Jubilee Galleries at Westminster Abbey. Built at a cost of £22.9 million the new gallery space sits high above the Abbey floor, in the beautiful 13th century triforium. On display are some of our greatest treasures which tell the story of a thousand years of British history.

Armadillo Systems were tasked with creating a Turning the Pages Gallery version of The Litlyngton Missal, this missal was commissioned by Abbot Nicholas Litlyngton for use at the Abbey’s high altar and was made at Westminster between 1383 and 1385. The text and illumination (decoration using gold leaf and colour) took three unnamed artists and scribe two years to complete. This Turning the Pages features a custom user interface themed specifically for the new gallery, and specular highlights on all the pages, due to the extensive amount of gold leaf throughout the book.

Opened by Her Majesty The Queen, the new galleries are spectacular and definitely worth a visit, even the access to them is remarkable. A new seven storey tower (the Weston Tower) was built just outside Poet’s Corner, it conceals a lift shaft and spiral staircase, connecting to the building by a bridge. It’s so discreet and perfectly integrated in to the existing structure of the Abbey you might not even notice it if you were walking by.

For more information on visiting the Diamond Jubilee Galleries head to the Westminster Abbey website.