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A Stonemason lays a new memorial to Poet Laureate Ted Hughes in Poets' Corner inside Westminster Abbey on Dec. 2, 2011 in London, England. The Welsh slate carved memorial, to the former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes who died in 1998, sits in Poets' Corner alongside other British literary giants including Lord Alfred Tennyson, D.H. Lawrence, T.S. Eliot and William Shakespeare. It will be unveiled at a ceremony in Westminster Abbey tomorrow evening with guests including his widow, Carol Hughes, and poet Seamus Heaney attending.

I'm not much of a poetry fan, but these images of the memorial to Ted Hughes in Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey remind one of the rich tradition of British literature. The photo (below) of Hughes unveiling a memorial to WWI poets in 1985 is a bit ironic: his memorial today sits next to that one.

As Reuters reports:

It may seem like a long 13 years after his death that Ted Hughes was honoured in Poets' Corner at Westminster Abbey, but compared with other literary greats like Shakespeare and Byron, the wait was relatively short.

A service will be held on Tuesday to unveil the memorial stone, which features an extract from his poem "That Morning": "So we found the end of our journey, So we stood alive in the river of light, Among the creatures of light, creatures of light."

Worshippers will hear an extract from a letter Hughes wrote to his then wife, the American poet Sylvia Plath, in 1956, shortly after they married and seven years before she took her own life, aged 30.

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11th November 1985: Poet Laureat Ted Hughes (1930 - 1998) unveils a memorial to WWI poets at Poet's Corner in Westminster Abbey.

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A view of a new memorial to Poet Laureate Ted Hughes in Poets' Corner inside Westminster Abbey on December 2, 2011 in London, England.

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A judge holds on to her wig in a sudden gust of wind as she processes to Parliament from Westminster Abbey on October 3, 2011 in London, England. The start of the legal year is marked with a traditional religious service and procession from Westminster Abbey. The judges arrive from the Royal Courts of Justice for the service followed by a procession to The Houses of Parliament where the Lord Chancellor hosts a reception.

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Judges process to Parliament from Westminster Abbey on October 3, 2011 in London, England.

More information about the history and tradition of the Lord Chancellor's breakfast.  

Apparently there have been some who favor jettisoning the wigs which went out of style long ago, but for now, they remain.

According to the Guardian (2007 article):

In the late 17th century, during the reign of Charles II, wigs became essential wear in society. The fashion came from the court of Louis XIV. Wig is short for periwig, which derives from the French perruque.

When wigs went out of fashion during the reign of George III, judges and barristers continued to wear them in court.

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Police officers arrest a man as he tries to get into Westminster Abbey in London, on the day of the royal wedding of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, on April 29.

You can find more royal wedding coverage on our blog, The Windsor Knot.

And more photo coverage in our slideshows:

Royal fans flock the streets of London.

Royal security.
Preparations for the royal wedding.
Wacky royal wedding memorabilia.
The royal guestlist - who's coming to the wedding?
A royal courtship.
History of British royal weddings.
Kate Middleton's style.
Crown jewels.