St Paul's Cathedral seen today was built between 1675 and 1711 by Sir Christopher Wren. The foudation stone was laid in 1675 when Wren was 43 years old, and the last stone was put in lace by his son 35 years later.

St Paul's Cathedral, London

The original Norman cathedral, destoyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666, was even larger than Wren's new building and must have dwarfed the medieval city.

The photo on the left shows the main entrance to St Pauls.

Inside, St. Paul's is packed with memorials to notable Britons including Christopher Wren, Wellington and Admiral Nelson, hero of Trafalgar.

For the fit or ambitious, you can climb 530 steps to the Golden Gallery, an observation platform atop the dome of the cathedral. From there you can look out over the modern skyline of the city of London.

You can see the distinctive dome of St Paul's from miles away.

The dome of St Paul's Cathedral is the second biggest dome in the world, after St Peter's in Rome.

At the dome's base is the Whispering Gallery, a circular walkway halfway up the inside of the dome. Due to the acoustics of the curved surface, a phrase whispered against one wall can be heard against the far wall 112 feet away.

Staute of Queen Victoria stands in front of St Paul's

Opening Times
Open Monday – Saturday 8:30 – 16:00 Special events may close the Cathedral so check before visiting

Ticket Prices
Adults - £10 Seniors - £9 Students - £8.50 Family (2+2) - £23.50 Children (7-16) - £3
(Prices 2010)

St. Paul's on the web:
www.stpauls.co.uk

Back to Buildings and landmarks of London

Back to London Index