St Paul's Cathedral Reviews (London, England)

In love with my namesake

Rotherham, United Kingdom

August 7, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo I suppose I should begin this journal with a rather embarrassing admission. Even though I am a grown man of more than 30 years of age, I still find immense pleasure in the fact that I share a Christian name with one of London's most easily ...Read more I suppose I should begin this journal with a rather embarrassing admission. Even though I am a grown man of more than 30 years of age, I still find immense pleasure in the fact that I share a Christian name with one of London's most easily recognisable landmarks. I must also rather shamefully admit that I took a similar amount of pleasure in having my picture taken in front of Christopher Wren's masterpiece pointing at it's dome and placing my hand on my chest to signify that, in my mind at least, the cathedral is named after me. Let's now though forget my rather childish thoughts and get onto a description of the cathedral itself.

Setting eyes on St Paul's was one of the greatest surprises of my life. My girlfriend and I had alighted from the underground at Blackfriars and were walking the the direction of the cathedral and the Millennium Bridge, which spans the Thames in front of it. We were not expecting St Paul's to loom and appear in quite the way it did. I was expecting to be able to spot it from a distance with the dome peeking over the London skyline. However, this was not the case. We were walking along consulting our map when suddenly from behind a building the full facade of the building appeared as if out of nowhere about 50m away. It was a stunning sight.

The dome of St Paul's is one of the world's most glorious architectural sights. It was the type of sight that stops you in your tracks. We were lucky as it was a bright and sunny day – which is not always typical in London – and the sun shone down onto the down brilliantly, so that it almost glistened. From a distance of 50m, the cathedral looked wonderful. However, from every point of perspective it was magnificent. When we crossed the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern the view of the cathedral above the Central London skyline was awe-inspiring as it dwarfed and surpassed everything else in the frame. Up close too, it was wonderful. It was hard to imagine that a building on such scale could be so wonderfully detailed. However, each gargoyle and window put that idea to bed with aplomb.

The one disappointing aspect of St Paul's was the price. It costs 16GBP to enter the cathedral when there are no services – worshippers are free to enter for religious ceremonies or the regular services. We considered this to be rather steep considering that the majority of museums and galleries in London are free of charge. We also found it a little distasteful as, in theory at least, the cathedral was a place of worship rather than a tourist attraction. Because of this, we contented ourselves by walking around the resplendent gardens and capturing hundreds of photographs.

St Paul's cathedral is served directly by St Paul's underground section and is also close to Blackfriars. Admission is 16GBP, but the view from the Millennium Bridge is free and is priceless. Close

From journal London Calling

Domed icon

by MagdaDH_AlexH

Perth, Scotland, United Kingdom

April 1, 2012

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Best of IgoUgo St Paul's Cathedral is quite possibly the most beautiful building in London. We lived within a half-hour walk of St Paul's for several months, and on some days I ended up walking home from the bus-stop near the Cathedral, I can't recall why, now, ...Read more
St Paul's Cathedral is quite possibly the most beautiful building in London. We lived within a half-hour walk of St Paul's for several months, and on some days I ended up walking home from the bus-stop near the Cathedral, I can't recall why, now, but I do remember seeing that building in all weathers, at all times of day (and night) and in various seasons. At first I wasn't sure: I am not that fond of monumental buildings, and Rome's St Peter's, although both impressive and fascinating, left me aesthetically less-than-awed. But, imperceptibly, St Paul's beauty crept up on me. I remember seeing the silhouette of the church one evening, almost-black purple on the background of almost-purple evening sky, and feeling deep gratefulness that I was given the chance to see it.

There has been a church here for over 15 centuries, but the current building dates to Christopher Wren's massive building programme after the Great Fire that ravaged the City in 1666. It is the seat of the Bishop of London and a massive,monumental church with second-largest dome in the world and it is a focus of English (and British) national pride as well as being one of the icons of London. During the WW2 it was symbolic of London's resistance during the Blitz, and it was (and remains) a place for many state occasions, from the funerals of Nelson and Churchill to Jubilee celebrations as well as – in hindsight - less worthy occasions like the overt-the-top wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer.

Wren submitted many proposals for the replacement church before a design was accepted, and even his final project – so-called Warrant Design – was substantially changed during the construction which took over 20 years. Wren employed Nicholas Hawksmoor, the future architect of several other outstanding churches of the era, as his principal assistant.

St Paul's is usually classified as an example of late Renaissance or ''rationalised'' English Baroque. English Baroque had, on the surface, little to do with the often overblown and breathlessly ornamental designs of continental Baroque (although there were great variations in that as well between various regions). English Baroque, best exemplified by Christopher Wren's body of work, has more to do with the preceding Renaissance (Palladian) styles and the following neo-Classical (Palladian revival). Baroque proper never really caught on in Britain, partially because its associations with triumphant Catholicism, and partially because of the English distaste for histrionic overstatement so characteristic of that style. What Wren (and other architects of the period) took from the Continental Baroque designs was a dynamic equilibrium of changing views, a spirit of construction rather then a specific style or shape. St Paul's remains a fantastically successful realisation of this fusion of neo-classical and Baroque principles.

The dome is a signature part of the Cathedral, 108m tall to the cross at the top and visible from many places around the City. It actually wasn't included in Wren's Warrant design, which instead had a lantern with a small dome, topped by a pagoda-like spire. The final dome is a three-layer construction, which balances the needs of distance-viewing (fulfilled by the large outer dome) with the internally pleasing design (smaller inner dome). The lantern is actually supported by structural cone between the two domes. Whispering gallery (a high climb, and a bit claustrophobic, but worth it) runs around the inner dome.

The interior of St Paul's is not as special as the outside, although still an impressive and beautiful sight. The Baroque influence is much more apparent here, and the dome is magnificent. Whether the interior visit is worth the entry charge of almost 15 GBP depends on your budget, really, but the dome climb and the dome galleries (whispering, stone and golden) are worth doing if your budget allows. Family ticket of 35 GBP effectively admits one child free (though under 6-year olds don't pay anyway), while gift-aiding gives a 12 months' pass.

Perhaps the best way to see the interior – without the Crypt and Galleries, though – is to attend a service at St Paul's. It's still very much a living church, with hourly prayer and daily services. The Cathedral closes for sight-seeing at 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and is devoted to worship all Sunday. Evensong is sung daily, usually at 5pm and there are also morning (Matins) and mid-day Eucharist services. Music is important here, and St Paul's Choir is known for its excellence, and even if you are not a Christian, it's a spiritual and aesthetic experience worth making time for. Close

From journal London icons

Checking out the deceased

by MichaelJM

Nottingham, England

August 31, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo We climbed down the steps to the lowest part of the Cathedral. St Paul’s crypt is the largest in Europe and is the "final resting place" for many of the nation’s greatest heroes, poets and scientists - people must have made an outstanding ...Read more We climbed down the steps to the lowest part of the Cathedral. St Paul’s crypt is the largest in Europe and is the "final resting place" for many of the nation’s greatest heroes, poets and scientists - people must have made an outstanding contribution to the life of the nation to be buried here. The audio tour doesn’t cover the Crypt so you need to check out the additional leaflet that will guide you around the memorials to Britain’s great names.

The famous Lord Nelson, killed in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, was buried in St Paul's after a state funeral. His coffin was made out of the timber from a French ship that he defeated in battle. Interestingly the black marble sarcophagus that adorns his tomb was originally intended for Cardinal Wolsey who was Lord Chancellor to Henry VIII. After Wolsey's "fell from grace" it remained unused at Windsor awaiting the death of a person who would merit such a magnificent piece of "tombware". Nelson was clearly the man!
Another battle hero is Lord Wellington, but he is buried in a less ostentatious tomb. It’s impressive though simply made out of Cornish granite. However, the tomb is surrounded by the very banners that were made for his funeral procession.

Of course Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St Paul's, is buried here but his tomb proved to be more difficult to find. It’s in the south aisle on the eastern side and a simple stone marks his spot. Indeed the surrounding memorials to his family, to the masons and other colleagues who worked on the building of St Paul's dominate the area. Our attention was drawn to the Latin epitaph above his tomb, which was written by his son and states: 'Reader, if you see his monument, look around you.'

There are tombs of and memorials to artists, scientists and musicians including the likes of Sir Joshua Reynolds, the artist; Sir Alexander Fleming, who discovered penicillin; the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan; and the sculptor Henry Moore.

It’s a real treasure trove of the famous and checked almost every single nook and cranny excitedly finding yet another name that we recognised. As we were about to leave the Crypt we examined the memorial gates to Sir Winston Churchill who isn’t buried here but worthily has a magnificent memorial to his life.

There’s a small restaurant down here if you want a coffee and a snack, but it was real busy when we were visiting so we didn’t bother. I think the crypt is well worth visiting and as the entry fee to the Cathedral includes this visit it may as well be part of your itinerary.

Very interesting.
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From journal Iconic St Paul's

A climb to the three galleries and the view....

by MichaelJM

Nottingham, England

August 30, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo It’s a fair old climb up to the top of St Paul’s but the end result is well worth the effort. The cost is included in the admission price to the Cathedral. All four of us took the 257 steps up to the whispering gallery. We’re still well under the ...Read more It’s a fair old climb up to the top of St Paul’s but the end result is well worth the effort. The cost is included in the admission price to the Cathedral. All four of us took the 257 steps up to the whispering gallery. We’re still well under the dome but at 30 metres up from the cathedral floor there’s a pretty good view down into the church and you can get a decent close up view of the dome’s mosaic.

Not for those with issues over height and both our wives stood well to the side of the gallery. They’d done better than we thought they’d do to make it up to here and I whispered across the width of the dome that they’d "done well". The gallery’s reputation was to be confirmed as the whispered back to me and I could hear their comments and giggles as they realised that I too could hear them. I wonder if Wren had realised the quirky nature of the dome and the gallery when he built it? ng the limb 259 steps up the dome and you will find The Whispering Gallery, which runs around the interior of the Dome. It gets its name from a charming quirk in its construction, which makes a whisper against its walls audible on the opposite side.

After not too intense negotiations my friend and I agreed that we’d carry on upwards whilst our wives returned to the ground floor. Another climb of 376 steps takes us up to the Stone Gallery which is 53 metres from ground level. We’re still lower than the inner dome but as this gallery is outside of the dome we get some decent views across the city of London. But don’t stop here...

The next climb of 528 steps take us up to The Golden Gallery. This is the smallest of the galleries and from here we got superb views . We’re now at 85 metres above the ground and the small gallery places us above the highest point of the outer dome, The view stretch as far as The Barbican and Shakespeare’s Globe theatre, the millennium Bridge over to the London Eye and the graceful arch of Wembley Stadium. We can clearly see the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf, the infamous "Gherkin", the iconic telecom tower. The climb was well worth the effort and of course from her we could gaze upward to the very top of St Paul’s.

Apparently the very top of the cross is 365 feet from ground level and I’m sure that isn’t a coincidence. Although I’m really not sure why Wren would want to build the cathedral to the height of the number of days in a year.

Of course now we had to walk back down. Still we’d be well rewarded for our efforts. We pondered on our way down about the small fossils we’d see in some of the outside blocks in the galleries, realised that it was the inner dome that carries the intricate painting and mosaics and the outer dome that’s the well-known landmark in London, and expressed our surprise that the golden ball on the top of the dome is six feet in diameter. Dimensions are all important when erecting a building that needs to be viewed from all levels and having looked at St Paul’s from top to bottom I’m sure that Wren got it right.
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From journal Iconic St Paul's

Following the guided tour

by MichaelJM

Nottingham, England

August 30, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo It’s years and years ago (over 40 to be clear) that I made my one and only visit to St Paul’s Cathedral and my recall of it is somewhat hazy. So as we were to spend a couple of days, taking in a show or two, we decided to check out this great ...Read more It’s years and years ago (over 40 to be clear) that I made my one and only visit to St Paul’s Cathedral and my recall of it is somewhat hazy. So as we were to spend a couple of days, taking in a show or two, we decided to check out this great edifice. Nowadays, of course, there’s an admission charge and although it seems a bit steep at £11.50 for a concessionary rate, it turned out, after our visit, that we didn’t feel that it was over-priced. Within the price you now get a "free" self-guided audio tour and this really gives you the full flavour of the church, its history and the people that have been closely linked with the church over the generations.

The scene as we first entered the cathedral brought back my earlier dormant memories of this fantastic building. The church is almost 160 metres long and the Nave is 37 metres wide. It’s almost breathtaking. Of course it was meant to be awe-inspiring as this was, and still is a space for the public and was designed to accommodate large congregations and underline the glory of God. Originally everyone would have entered through the nine metre high Great West Door, but nowadays this is only opened on special occasions. I stepped back to this mighty doorway to get "the full picture".
Of course close to the entrance is the font and St Paul’s is an impressive chunk of blue veined Italian Marble. It was carved in 1726 by Francis Bird who was the stonemason who was also responsible for the sculpture, the Conversion of St Paul, high over the main entrance.

At this end of the church, in the north and south aisle there are three chapels - All Souls', St Dunstan's and the Chapel of the Order of St Michael and St George where the bishop summarily sat in judgement over wayward clergy. I’m not sure how often it was used! You can’t fail to notice the monument to the Duke of Wellington. He had died in 1852 but it took 60 years for the figure on horseback to be completed and installed in the Cathedral.
In the South Transept there’s a monument to Admiral Nelson's, the UK’s naval hero who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. His monument features a lion, a symbol to indicate that he died in battle. Two other memorials commemorate the life of Turner, the artist, and Captain Robert Scott the explorer who died, in 1912, returning from the South Pole. Majestic memorials. Just in front of us is the entrance to the crypt (see separate review) with its three death's heads over the entrance.

We’re now stood under the magnificent dome and it seems to rise forever. It’s a magnificent work of art and a tribute to the engineering and building skills of the day. We intended to climb up the stairs to the highest point later on in our tour.

Next we head for the quire. This I often find is a real interesting part of a church and St Paul’s is no exception to this rule. This was the first part of the cathedral to be built and I was delighted to see that the stalls on both sides of the choir were delicately carved by the infamous Grinling Gibbons. I’ve spoke about him in other journals as his prolific work appears in many palaces and stately homes across the country. Even the organ enclosure is carved by him. The organ itself dates back to 1695 and with over 7,000 pipes, 140 stops and five keyboards it’s the third largest in England.

Although the altar looks to have age it’s actually post war, but the altar canopy is based on sketches made by Wren, so it’s entirely in keeping with the Cathedral’s roots.

In the aisle of the South Quire is a marble effigy of John Donne. I was particularly keen to find this as I’d studied his poems in my late teens. Donne had been a Dean of the cathedral and was, in my view the greatest metaphysical poets. He died in 1631 and appropriately his statue was only one of a few that survived the Great Fire of London in 1666. Scorch marks on the base are the only signs of damage to the effigy.

In the apse, at the east end of the cathedral, is the America Memorial Chapel, which honours American service-people who died in World War II. It was dedicated in 1958 and the roll of honour contains more than 28,000 names of Americans who died in that war.

The ground floor has a wealth of interest, but we left with a crick in our necks as we spent an awful lot of time gazing heavenward at the superb ceilings and carvings that are high up in this magnificent Cathedral
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From journal Iconic St Paul's

St Paul's history and our approach to this iconic building

by MichaelJM

Nottingham, England

August 29, 2011

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Best of IgoUgo There’s been a cathedral on this site since 604 and the first cathedral, dedicated to St Paul, was built by the Saxons. This wooden construction was burnt down and destroyed by the Vikings in 675. The replacement church was a sturdier affair being ...Read more There’s been a cathedral on this site since 604 and the first cathedral, dedicated to St Paul, was built by the Saxons. This wooden construction was burnt down and destroyed by the Vikings in 675. The replacement church was a sturdier affair being built out of stone but even this did not survive the rampages of invaders as it was also destroyed in 962. Just over a decade later it was again destroyed by fire and this time the Normans rebuilt it. I’m not absolutely sure when the work started but the Normans were masters at their art and the finished cathedral took many years to build. Indeed it was not consecrated until 1300.

Unfortunately this church was neglected over the years and in the early 1600’s a decision was made to tackle the restoration of St Paul’s under the watchful eye of Indigo Jones. The work had hardly got on way when The English Civil War started. This really meant that Churches were no longer given the respect that they’d been afforded earlier and I was surprised to read that St Paul's was used for stabling horses and the nave became a market-place. After the war the market was "moved on" and the Cathedra, what was left of it, returned to its religious function. Repairs were undertaken and plans were drawn up to restore the cathedral to its former glory.

And then fate interceded and in August 1666 the Great Fire of London "took no prisoners" and the cathedral was gutted but before he had a chance to work, the Great Fire intervened. Four days worth of ferocious fires destroyed over two-thirds of the City of London, including the great Cathedral. Quickly King Charles II and the Lord Mayor asked Wren to draw up plans for the re-creation of the City.. The plan was rapidly drawn up but unfortunately Wren’s great vision for the City’s architecture was never implemented.

Too expensive or too complex? More likely that people wanted to rebuild ruined houses and get back to normal living and so they got on with building. However, the hope that the Cathedral could be saved soon proved to be wrong so Wren was asked to draw up plans for a new place of worship on the demolished site of the original cathedral. Charles II wasn’t an easy monarch to please and it took Wren three attempts to present plans that satisfied the King. So nine years after the fire work started on the new St Paul’s and only thirty-six years later the building was finished. Wren must have been ecstatic!

Today I guess we’re all grateful for the Great Fire of London and the heritage that came out of the destruction of 1666.

The dome teased us for several blocks and then in front of us are the Romanesque columns supporting a plinth which supports more columns and the triangular relief depicting Saint Paul and the other apostles. St Paul is rightly central to the design but dwarfing his statue are the two mighty western towers. Golden pineapples top the tower - symbols of peace and prosperity. More fine columns surround the bell tower and in the tower on the right hand side, above a clock that was installed in the late 1800’s, is the hour bell known as Great Tom and Great Paul which is the largest swinging bell in Europe.

But the towering above it all is the mighty dome that "just is St Paul’s".

Our appetite was whetted and we entered the building to pay our money and start inspecting the inside of this superb iconic building of London.

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From journal Iconic St Paul's

St. Paul's Cathedral

by lavenderdays

El Segundo, California

May 5, 2011

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Once you step inside St. Paul’s Cathedral…It’s difficult to capture the enormity of this cathedral on camera. Perhaps it's better to just sit back and experience the beauty of it all. It’s so incredibly lavish and ornate inside! Probably one of ...Read more

Don't Miss St Paul's

by Abby071

London, United Kingdom

October 27, 2008

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St Paul’s Cathedral is one of the most beautiful of London's sights. The dome dominates the London skyline and if the mood takes you, you can climb the 530 steps to the Golden Gallery. Want to keep the kids quiet? Try getting them to practise their ...Read more

St Paul's Cathedral

by callen60

Ozarks, Missouri

June 1, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo If St. Paul’s wasn’t emblematic of London before World War II, the Blitz certainly fixed that. The famous images of Wren’s dome rising seemingly unhurt out of the surrounding fires and smoke, made it the embodiment of London’s resistance to the ...Read more If St. Paul’s wasn’t emblematic of London before World War II, the Blitz certainly fixed that. The famous images of Wren’s dome rising seemingly unhurt out of the surrounding fires and smoke, made it the embodiment of London’s resistance to the brutal Nazi bombardment. Less well known is the price that was paid for its survival (which only heightens the image): the fire battalions worked round the clock to preserve the Cathedral, at the expense of much of the surrounding neighborhood. Moreover, St. Paul’s did not escape unscathed: a major bomb crashed through the west end of the building in 1941, and you can still see some of its effects on the climb to the Whispering Gallery along the dome’s lower edge.

To me, visiting here seems essential to understanding London and England. It’s certainly worth a visit for its qualities as a structure, or more holistically, as a place of worship. Christopher Wren, whose ability as architect, planner, astronomer and scientist have made him one of my heroes over the past decade, created a building that is awe-inspiring, solid, airy and intimate. Wren, who had responsibility for rebuilding so much of London after the Great Fire, built at least the third Cathedral here on Ludgate Hill. The dome still rises well above almost all of London’s skyline, but modern construction (and post-Blitz reconstruction) around the area makes it awfully hard to see the hill. The building he put here was the first English cathedral built after the Reformation, a chance to state what the new English church was, instead of what it was not.

I find it powerful to visit places where people have worshipped for centuries or even a millennium. Although they did so in previous incarnations of this cathedral for many of those years, this place still carries a strong sense of history predating its 300 years. Wren’s Baroque cathedral is hardly without ornamentation, but it seems well chosen, neither too fanciful nor too restrained. It has a much more solid feel than gothic Westminster Abbey, and as a place of worship, I think I’d prefer it. Seven years ago, my wife and I came for evensong on a raining Wednesday evening, which proved to be among the highlights of that first trip to London.

Understandably, the ushers patiently but firmly escorted us out of the building after evensong was finished. We hadn’t returned to tour the church, and it was the first stop on our first full day in London. Unfortunately, we arrived later than we’d planned. Hoping to arrive just as St. Paul’s opened to visitors at 8:30 (or, as I dreamed, even earlier for morning prayer), we successfully negotiated the morning tube ride from Moorgate and climbed the steps just after 9 am. Jet lag was still raging in my teens, and negotiating a family forced march through the cathedral seemed a risky bet. So we invested in audio tours (£4) for everyone who wanted one, and set off to explore the cathedral separately. I was hoping for a verger tour, but the next one didn’t leave until 10, so I headed back to the desk, where the clerk kindly offered to renegotiate my bill for the family price.

Among the highlights for me were the great space under the dome, the carved wood quire and pulpit by Grinling Gibbons, and the American Chapel at the far east end. The audio tour made sure I noted the paintings by contemporary Russian artist Sergei Chepik, part of an effort to bring contemporary art into St. Paul’s, which makes sense if it is indeed to remain an active place of worship and not a museum. I don’t think I would have missed these large works, but I’m glad I didn’t. The four panels tell the story of Christ, from birth to resurrection, in an installation where they face each other in pairs, giving the set an added dimension.

Everyone wanted to climb the steps to the Whispering Gallery, so we gathered at the northeast end of the cathedral for the 150+ steps. It was here that we began paying the price for arriving late, as one of two busloads that arrived at 10 was also here, and on the way further up. It was hard to test the Gallery's famous acoustics, but the view of the mosaics from this level and the dome above was worth it. My acrophobia was waking up, and walking the narrow aisle along the railing with dozens of other pushing to get past wasn’t helping. I stepped up onto one of the pairs of benches running around at the dome’s wall, and enjoyed the view outwards and upwards. Even if your plans don’t call for anymore climbing, I wouldn’t skip this part of the cathedral. If you do need to rest, it’s much easier to do so on this climb than it is as you ascend to the outdoor galleries above.

Above the Whispering Gallery are an array of windows, and your view of the Cathedral is enhanced by being close to the dome over your head as well as farther from the floor, quire and apse below. I would have hoped for a more peaceful setting, but next time I’ll come earlier.

My family was split on heading up from here. My oldest decided not to climb, and my wife stayed with her; my younger two were going up regardless, and thinking about them 300 feet above London without me made my parental sensibilities ring wildly in alarm. In the end, the climb wasn’t too bad: it’s a little shorter ascent to the next gallery, which is a solid stone walkway with views out holes in the stone railing. It was still a bright, sunny morning, and this view out over London was better than I anticipated. We walked a full circuit of this level, and then climbed to the Golden Gallery. It’s not the uppermost level on the dome’s exterior, but it is as high as you can go these days.

This climb takes you up catwalks and over the top of Wren’s inner dome. It’s more challenging than the first two intervals, and I’d think twice if you’re uneasy in tight spaces or on steep mesh stairs.

The view over London is exquisite. It rivals that from the London Eye, and there’s no glass or metal frame in your way. Of course, nothing protects you from the elements, either, but the breezes weren’t too bad. The gallery is exceedingly narrow—perhaps 3 feet at its widest point right by the top of the stairwell, and much tighter in places. It was so crowded that once we stepped out, we couldn’t walk around, and were stuck simply waiting for others to finally head down. I nearly lost it as one of the teens ahead of me climbed the railing and leaned as far over as possible, but he survived, the line cleared, and we made it to the far side for a view to the east and the Tower of London.

From here, we headed to the crypt. Nelson’s tomb is on the main floor of the cathedral, but the number of other tombs and monuments seemed restrained compared to Westminster Abbey. On the lower level are Wren’s tomb, bearing his son’s famous epitaph ("If you seek his monument, look around you"), the tomb of Wellington, still surrounded by the battle flags carried at his funeral procession by Britain’s allies in the victory over Napoleon. Churchill isn’t buried here, but an ornate iron gate across the midpoint of the crypt honors him and his contributions to the nation. Joining him are numerous generals from the First and Second World Wars, panels commemorating the service of many units in both conflicts, and the politicians and soldiers who built the empire in the 18th and 19th centuries. I paused briefly in front of a table where a docent was selling guidebooks, and she struck up a conversation with me, taking me aside to point out one of her favorites, the monument to George Williams, founder of the YMCA: “Doesn’t he have just have the most wonderful smile? He looks so happy to me”, she said as we gazed on his image.

We emerged from the crypt just after noon. I was hopeful that we’d return later in the week for a service, perhaps on Maundy Thursday. It wasn’t to be, but I will come here every chance I get.
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From journal London: All That We Could Afford

St Paul's Cathedral

by tvordj

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

April 11, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo On Ludgate Hill, at the end of The Strand, you come around a turn in the road and this huge domed building looms out at you amid the busy traffic. St. Paul's Cathedral was finished in 1710, built after the great fire of London in 1666 burned down ...Read more On Ludgate Hill, at the end of The Strand, you come around a turn in the road and this huge domed building looms out at you amid the busy traffic. St. Paul's Cathedral was finished in 1710, built after the great fire of London in 1666 burned down Old St. Paul's. It's a Baroque masterpiece, filled with tombs, statues, frescos and gilded everything.

It costs 10 pounds for adults, 9 for seniors plus they have family (2 children 2 adults) tickets and that includes everything. You can visit the crypt and you can also climb up over 500 steps to go to the very top of the dome. It's fewer if you just want to go to the Whispering Gallery where a sound whispered on one side will travel around and be heard on the other. It really works! There's also an outside deck at the base of the dome with higher stone balustrades. At the very top, there's only a narrow walk way and a waist high railing. I'm ok with heights and even i found that a bit intimidating.

You aren't allowed to take photos in St. Paul's but i took a few "stealth" non-flash shots by aiming the camera from my waist and kept the best of the ones that came out, after i was scolded by a staff member for taking a proper photo of an angel statue. The decoration in the cathdral is just spectacular.

The Crypt is interesting as well, with the tombs of Waterloo veteran Wellington and Admiral Nelson. The simple tomb of Christopher Wren is there too, tucked away in a corner. There's a gift shop and a cafe as well for tired feet. They do have disabled access but you may have to ask for it. We did notice a platform that could fit a wheelchair on a rail to the crypt (where there are washrooms, and where the cafe and gift shop are). There's a wheelchair accessible entrance on the north side which enters via the crypt. The website, http://www.stpauls.co.uk/ has full descriptions of all the disabled access.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to St. Paul's. I didn't climb the dome this time but i have done in the past and the views are out of this world! Close

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Checking out the deceased

A climb to the three galleries and the view....

Following the guided tour

St Paul's history and our approach to this iconic building

St. Paul's Cathedral

Don't Miss St Paul's

St Paul's Cathedral

St Paul's Cathedral