Professor Stephen Hawking has been laid to rest between the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin at Westminster Abbey.

His ashes were interred in Scientists’ Corner, the area of the Abbey dedicated to those who have made a significant contribution to the subject, during a service to celebrate his life.

Stephen Hawking memorial service
Professor Stephen Hawking died at home in Cambridge in March, aged 76 (Joe Giddens/PA)
Professor Stephen Hawking
Aged 22, he was diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease and given a few years to live but he defied the odds to have a stunning career (Ben Stansall/PA)
Stephen Hawking grave
His daughter, Lucy, and first wife Jane Hawking, laid flowers and a medal created by the Stephen Hawking Foundation was placed in the grave (Ben Stansall/PA)
Benedict Cumberbatch
The service featured a reading from Benedict Cumberbatch, who played the physicist in a BBC drama (Ben Stansall/PA)
Tim Peake
Astronaut Tim Peake also spoke, while Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, musician Nile Rodgers, TV star David Walliams and Professor Brian Cox were among the guests (Ben Stansall/PA)
Professor Stephen Hawking
Choral music echoed through the grand building as family members, led by the Dean of Westminster, processed to Prof Hawking’s final resting place (Ben Stansall/PA)
Professor Stephen Hawking memorial service
An address was given by Astronomer Royal Martin Rees, pictured, while Prof Hawking’s collaborator and Nobel prize winner Kip Thorne also gave a tribute (Ben Stansall/PA)
Lucy Hawking
Lucy Hawking spoke in the Abbey. His children have expressed their gratitude to it for allowing their father a ‘distinguished’ final resting place (Ben Stansall/PA)
Professor Stephen Hawking memorial service
A thousand members of the public, from more than 100 countries, were offered the opportunity to attend the service (Ben Stansall/PA)
Jane Hawking
Jane Hawking lays flowers. A memorial stone will lie above inscribed, ‘Here lies what was mortal of Stephen Hawking 1942 – 2018’ (Ben Stansall/PA)