Westminster Abbey politicians, doctors and scientists such as Isaac Newton, buried on 4 April 1727, Charles Darwin, buried on 26 April 1882, and Stephen Hawking, buried on 15 June 2018. Another was William Wilberforce who led the movement to abolish slavery in the United Kingdom and the Plantations, buried on 3 August 1833. Wilberforce was buried in the north transept, close to his friend, the former Prime Minister, William Pitt. During the early 20th century it became increasingly common to bury cremated remains rather than coffins in the abbey. In 1905 the actor Sir Henry Irving was cremated and his ashes buried
Westminster Abbey Choir School centenary year) and underwent renovations in 1990s. The two houses of the Choir School are named after the musicians John Blow and Henry Purcell, who were both Organists of Westminster Abbey, and who are both buried in the abbey. The Chairman of the Governors of the school is the Very Reverend John Hall, Dean of Westminster and former Chief Education Officer for the Church of England. The school was inspected by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in October 2015. As a choir school, boys are selected by musical ability. The Dean and Chapter meet the cost of their vocal training and