This is the great masterpiece of Sir Christopher
Wren, who rebuilt the City’s churches after the Great Fire of 1666.
Completed in 1708, it was England’s first purpose-built Protestant
cathedral, and has many similarities with St Peter’s in Rome, notably in
its enormous ornate dome. It has the largest swinging bell in Europe,
Great Paul, which strikes every day at 1pm. The hour bell, Great Tom,
strikes the hour and marks the death of royalty and senior churchmen.
The cathedral has a reputation for music, and draws its choristers from
St Paul’s Cathedral School.
St Paul’s Cathedral, Ludgate Hill EC4 020 7236 4128
www.stpauls.co.uk
Cathedral: Open 8:30am–4pm Mon–Sat Galleries: 9:30am–4pm Mon–Sat Admission:
adults £11; children 7–16 £3.50 (under-6s free); seniors £10; students
£8.50; family £25.50; group rates available, call for details Guided tours at 10.45am, 11:15am, 1:30pm, 2pm (fee charged, call for details)
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The first known church
dedicated to St Paul was built on this site in AD 604. Made of wood, it
burned down in 675 and a subsequent church was destroyed by Viking
invaders in 962. The third church was built in stone. Following another
fire in 1087, it was rebuilt under the Normans as a much larger
cathedral, with stone walls and a wooden roof. This was completed in
1300. In 1666 Christopher Wren’s plans to restore the building had just
been accepted when the Great Fire of London burned the old cathedral to
the ground.
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Cathedral Floorplan
St Paul’s semi-circular South Porch
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Food and drink in the Crypt Café.
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The most popular service is the choral evensong (usually at 5pm daily) when you can hear the choir.
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Guided tours and audio guides are available.
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Top 10 FeaturesWest Front and Towers The
imposing West Front is dominated by two huge towers. The pineapples at
their tops are symbols of peace and prosperity. The Great West Door is 9
m (29 ft) high and is used only for ceremonial occasions.
Dome One
of the largest domes in the world, it is 111 m (365 ft) high and weighs
65,000 tonnes. The Golden Gallery at the top, and the larger Stone
Gallery, both have great views.
Whispering Gallery Inside
the dome is the famous Whispering Gallery. Words whispered against the
wall can be heard on the opposite side of the gallery. Quire The
beautiful stalls and organ case in the Quire are by Grinling Gibbons.
Handel and Mendelssohn both played the organ, which dates from 1695. OBE Chapel At
the eastern end of the crypt is a chapel devoted to men and women who
received the Order of the British Empire, a military and civil honour
established in 1917, and the first to include women. High Altar The
magnificent High Altar is made from Italian marble, and the canopy is
from a sketch by Wren. The large candlesticks are copies of a
16th-century pair made for Cardinal Wolsey.
The Light of the World This
painting by the Pre-Raphaelite artist Holman Hunt dates from c.1900. It
shows Christ knocking on a door that opens from inside, meaning that
God can enter our lives only if we invite Him in. Tijou Gates The
French master metal worker Jean Tijou designed these ornate wrought
iron gates in the North Quire Aisle, along with the Whispering Gallery
balcony and other cathedral metalwork.
Mosaics Colourful
mosaic ceilings were installed in the Quire and Ambulatory in the 19th
century. They are made with irregular cubes of glass, set at angles so
that they sparkle.
Moore’s Mother and Child The
sculptor Henry Moore is commemorated in the crypt. This piece is one of
a growing number of independent works of art that have been introduced
into St Paul’s since the 1960s.
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