St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral is the fifth religious building on the site, and has stood proud since 1666 – when the Great Fire of London burnt Old St. Paul’s to the ground.
History of Old St. Paul’s
The first building was made out of wood, and burnt down in 675 AD. The second was sacked by the Vikings in 962, and replaced by a sturdier edifice in stone.
The fourth building – known as Old St. Paul’s – was started by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest. It suffered fire damage in 1087, and a further fire in 1136 set the builders back years. It was finally finished 200 years later.
Old St. Paul’s was quite an accomplishment in itself. It was the largest medieval building in the whole of Europe, and boasted the tallest spire in the world. It stood solid for several centuries until wear and tear left it crumbling into disrepair. Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries meant it was soon stripped of all decoration, and many of the buildings surrounding the site were raised to the ground.
As if all of that wasn’t bad enough, a lightning strike took out the spire in 1561. James I undertook major renovations, but these were halted during the English Civil War. The final death knell came in 1666, when the Great Fire of London turned it into ash.
Architecture, designed by Christopher Wren
The decision was taken to clear away the burnt-out husk and entrust the rebuild to Christopher Wren. His first idea was for a straight replacement – but this was deemed a waste. His second idea was to build a cathedral in the shape of a Greek cross. His third idea – the one that we see today – was accepted in 1675 and completed in October 1708.
The resulting masterpiece boasts the second largest dome in Europe (after St. Peter’s in Rome) and is the only domed cathedral in England.
St. Paul’s Cathedral is rightly regarded as Wren’s pièce de résistance – but many people are unaware of his other London churches – he designed fifty in the City alone. If you walk directly under the dome then you can read his fitting epitaph: Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice
– Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.
Upon entering St. Paul’s Cathedral from the front, you are greeted with the long processional nave [5]. This is where Princess Diana was filmed in her long flowing train when she married Prince Charles in 1981.
To the left is the All Souls’ Chapel, St. Dunstan’s Chapel [6] and entrance to the bell tower [8]. Over to the right is the chapel of St. Michael and St. George [7].
The woodwork around the altar [2] was carved by Grinling Gibbons, and the iron gates were wrought by Jean Tijou. There is also a 20th-century statue crafted by Henry Moore.
The canopy is a copy of the cover in St. Peter’s, but dates from 1958 – the original was damaged during the war. One of the most interesting artefacts is an effigy of the poet John Donne – one of the few such pieces to survive the Great Fire in 1666. You can even see some scorch marks on its base. (Donne was famous for the immortal lines: No man is an island,
and Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.
)
Whispering Gallery, and the dome’s acoustics
St. Paul’s Cathedral boasts an impressive series of domes leading up to the main one, all of which are open to the public. If you look up from Wren’s memorial then you can see the Whispering Gallery – with frescoes by Sir James Thornhill. Legend has it that Wren was hauled up here in a basket to admire the pictures for himself.
by James W.P. Campbell
by Anthony Geraghty
by Adrian Tinniswood
If you want to enjoy the interior views from the Whispering Gallery, then be prepared for a hefty 259 steps. But once you’re up there, the views are breathtaking. The cathedral’s sheer scale and patterned floor are best appreciated from above. You may also like to partake in the Gallery’s favourite pastime – talking. Due to a bizarre acoustic effect, which gives the dome its name, everything said on one side of the gallery can be equally understood on the other – 107-feet away.
For exterior views of London, then you will have to head up to the Stone Gallery (another 119 steps) and the Golden Gallery (another 172 steps). A small hole in the centre of the very highest dome gives you a dizzying view of the cathedral floor – 364-feet below.
The dome’s ceiling is covered in 30 million pieces of glass, depicting various biblical scenes and prophets – the Creation, the Garden of Eden and Crucifixion.
Big Tom, and St. Paul’s Crypt
‘Big Tom’ is the name of the clock face on the right-hand tower. Whilst nowhere near as impressive as Big Ben on the Houses of Parliament, it measures a healthy 16-foot across, and has a minute-hand taller than a human being. But Great Paul – the name of the 17-tonne bell that rings out for five minutes at 1 – is actually larger than the one in Westminster.
St. Paul’s Cathedral also boasts the largest crypt in Europe, with over 300 memorials to the great and good… the most notable being Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Christopher Wren himself.
Lord Nelson’s black sarcophagus sits directly under the dome, and is carved from the wood of a beaten French warship. The Duke of Wellington’s coffin has the banners from his funeral hanging around the sides. Other tombs include Florence Nightingale and Lord Kitchener.
Facts and information
- Map:
- St. Paul’s Cathedral, St. Paul’s Churchyard, Ludgate Hill, The City,
London EC4M 8AD
England - Tel:
- Work +44 (0) 207 236 4128
- Fax:
- Fax +44 (0) 207 248 3104
- Bus:
- 4, 11, 15, 17, 23, 25, 26, 242
- Train:
- Blackfriars, Cannon Street, London Bridge, Mansion House, St. Paul’s
- Opening times:
- Cathedral - 8.30–4 (Mon–Sat)
Galleries, crypt and ambulatory - 9.30–3.45 (Mon–Sat) - Cost:
- Adults £10.00; Children £3.50 (7–16); Infants free (under-6); Family ticket £23.50
St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral, LondonDid you know… St. Paul’s Cathedral boasts the second largest dome in Europe, and the biggest bell in London… bigger even than Big Ben!
Walking up Ludgate Hill
View from the top of the domeSir Christopher Wren – architect
Sir Christopher Wren was born in 1632. His privileged family life gave him an excellent education, and he distinguished himself in many subjects.
In his early life he was renowned as a scientist – he worked on blood transfusions, and experimented with opium as an anaesthetic. He even invented a brand new language for the deaf and dumb.
In 1661 he helped to found the Royal Society, and returned to Oxford as the Professor of Astronomy. There he experimented with sundials, and built a working model of the solar system. Sir Isaac Newton even listed him as one of the world’s finest mathematicians – thirty years before he himself made his name.
Wren’s extensive knowledge brought him into close contact with King Charles II, and he was promoted to the post of Surveyor General of the Royal Work. Trips to Rome and Paris followed, and his interest in buildings grew.
Wren’s first real architectural job was designing a chapel at Pembroke College in 1663. He also built the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford.
After the Great Fire of London in 1666, Wren was given the job of redesigning the city. His plan included straight lines, broad avenues and stunning vistas, but problems over property rights led to it being dropped.
He was given instead the task of rebuilding many of the capital’s churches, including the great St. Paul’s. Wren was forty-three years old when work commenced, and seventy-eight when it was finished. He died twelve years after that, and was buried in the crypt.
His other London buildings include the Royal Exchange, Royal Naval College, Chelsea Hospital, and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
Old St. Paul’s
Old St. Paul’s, c.1561
Old St. Paul’s, c.1630- > Information
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