St Pauls Cathedral

This wonderful Baroque cathedral is the crowning piece of Christopher Wren’s 17th Century reconstruction of London after the Great Fire in 1666 and has since been the opulent setting for many important state ceremonies.

The Great Fire of 1666, started in a bakers in Pudding Lane and quickly spread throughout the city eventually destroying 80% of the London’s buildings. The architect Christopher Wren became a leading figure in the reconstruction of the London, replacing the ruins of the medieval cathedral of St Paul’s with one of the most impressive post reformation cathedrals in the country influenced by Greek, Roman, Renaissance and Baroque architecture.

The interiors of the cathedral are as lavish as the exteriors are magnificent. The central Dome weighs a staggering 650 tons and you could seriously crick your neck gazing up engrossed by the beautifully sculptured ceiling, glittering painting and elaborate gold leaf décor. The whole of the Nave and High Alter are a wonder of decorative features that truly astound. The Crypt beneath is a veritable who’s who of the great and the good in Britain’s history with memorials to those that defended the realm and tombs of people like the Duke of Wellington and Nelson.

The Crypt also houses the treasury of the Diocese, which includes the state robes and Alter ornaments of the bishop that were used in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977. St Paul’s Cathedral was the lavish location for the wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana in 1981 and as well as Elizabeth II ’s Silver Jubilee. It was also the location for Queen Victoria ’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897.

One of the most impressive features is the climb up the 530 steps to the Whispering Gallery in the central Dome providing wonderful close up views of the ceiling and down into the alter. A quick climb to the Stone Gallery outside the Dome offers good views of the city but climbing further still up the narrow stairways to the Golden Gallery almost 113 metres high will reward the more energetic with fabulous panoramic views up to 15 miles across London.

Tube Station: St Paul’s