ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL-LONDON-UK

HISTORY:

St Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London, England the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is the seat of the Bishop of London.  Ait is believed that a Roman temple to Diana may once have stood on the site, but the Christian cathedral which dedicated to St. Paul was built in AD 604.  This Gothic cathedral largely destroyed in the Great Fire (2 Sept 1666 – 6 Sept 1666) and its replacement (built 675–685) was destroyed by Viking raiders in 962. The present structure, which was completed in 1710, is a Grade I listed building that was designed in the English Baroque style by Sir Christopher Wren.

The cathedral is one of the most famous and recognisable sights of London. It was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1963. The dome is still one of the highest in the world. St Paul’s is the second-largest church building in area in the United Kingdom, after Liverpool Cathedral.

St Paul’s Cathedral London is a very popular architectural landmark which annually it attracts around 1.7 million visitors. It can easily accommodate up to 3500 guests at one time. The stunning views from its dome are must-see in London.

Historical importance:

Some of the most notable national events attended by the royal family, government ministers and officers:

Thanksgiving service for the Acts of Union 1707, 1 May 1707

State funeral of Horatio Nelson, 9 January 1806

State funeral of the Duke of Wellington, 18 November 1852

Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, 22 June 1897

Thanksgiving service for the Treaty of Versailles, 6 July 1919

Silver Jubilee of George V, 6 May 1935

Thanksgiving services for VE Day and VJ Day, 13 May and 19 August 1945

Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, 7 June 1977

Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, 29 July 1981

Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II, 4 June 2002

Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II, 5 June 2012

Ceremonial funeral of Margaret Thatcher, 17 April 2013

Thanksgiving service for the Queen’s 90th Birthday, 10 June 2016

Platinum Jubilee National Service of Thanksgiving, 3 June 2022.

(Image credit: DiliffCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
St Paul's Cathedral Nave

Opening time:

Sightseeing opening times:

Monday to Saturday

8.30am (10am on Wednesday) to 4.30pm

Last sightseeing entry 4pm.

Tickets:

See ticket prize and book:

A sightseeing ticketholder will have access to the Cathedral Floor (ground floor) and the Crypt. You can also climb the Dome, up to the three Dome Galleries – the internal Whispering Gallery, the Stone Gallery, and the Golden Gallery, which provide incredible views over London. the Galleries can be accessed by stairs only. There are a total of 257 steps up to the Whispering Gallery, 376 steps up to the Stone Gallery and 528 steps (total) to the Golden Gallery.

Getting there:

The address of the Cathedral is: St Paul’s Cathedral, St Paul’s Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD

Nearest tube stations: 

  • St Paul’s: 3 minute walk (270m) served by the Central line.
  • Mansion House: 6 minute walk (450m) served by the District and Circle lines.
  • Blackfriars: 7 minute walk (500m) served by the District and Circle lines.
  • Bank: 10 minute walk (750m) served by the Central, Northern and Waterloo & City lines, and the Docklands Light Railway (DLR).

BUS: Routes 4, 8, 15, 17, 23, 25, 26, 56, 76, 100, 172, 242, 521 all stop near the Cathedral.

All the major ‘hop on, hop off’ sightseeing bus tours stop outside the Cathedral.

 Floor Map: click

FACILITIES:

Accessibility: Step-free access. The new North Transept entrance has ramped access, and this is the recommended entrance for wheelchair users and those requiring step-free access. The entrance leads directly onto the Cathedral floor. A few Cathedral wheelchairs are available on request.

Guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs are all welcome in the Cathedral. Please ask our Visitor Experience Assistants if you need some water for your dog.

Smaller mobility scooters are welcome in the Cathedral – however, the lift connecting the Cathedral floor and Crypt cannot accommodate many Classes 3 scooters or some larger class 2 scooters. We recommend that you check that your scooter will fit in the lift before you arrive at the Cathedral:

Public toilets: There are public toilets are available

                  TIPS

  • During sightseeing hours, any disabled visitor can request a free ticket for them and an accompanying carer or assistant. You can book these tickets in advance or ask for them when you arrive. When you arrive do let us know if there is any specific assistance you need.
  • Though you need pay to visit, you can enter the cathedral for free during service times to see the architecture, but do not have access to galleries and the dome.
  • you can book guided tours if you want.
  • An audio guide is included with your entry ticket and is available in several languages

Things not to miss

  • SPECTACULAR GRAND ORGAN                                                                                                                             

An organ was commissioned from Bernard Smith in 1694. In 1862 another organ was installed in a gallery over the south transept door which was moved to the Victoria Rooms in Clifton in 1873 when the Grand Organ was completed in 1872. The Grand Organ is the fifth largest in Great Britain (The Organ in the Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool, is the largest organ in the UK and one of the largest operational organs in the world) in terms of number of pipes (7,256), with 5 manuals, 136 ranks of pipes and 137 stops, principally enclosed in an impressive case designed in Wren’s workshop and decorated by Grinling Gibbons.

Organ recitals

Celebrity organ recitals (Need to book ticket)

 Sunday organ recitals and special concerts showcase the splendour of the Cathedral’s world-famous Grand Organ

Sunday organ recitals : Free

An organ recitals hold every Sunday at 4.30pm for half an hour (unless otherwise stated). These free and unticketed concerts give everyone a chance to hear our Grand Organ in action. 

  • THE DOME

St Paul’s has one of the world’s biggest domes and is up there with the likes of the Pantheon in Rome. The dome is around 1,200 feet/366 metres high. You need to use hundreds of stairs to reach the top. You can stop for a rest at the Whispering Gallery for a break.

   ( Image credit: Bernard GagnonCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
  • THE GALLERIES

    (Image credit: AiwokCC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Stone gallery: The first is the Stone Gallery which stands at 173 feet (53.4 metres) above ground level.

Whispering Gallery: It is located 30 meters above the floor of the cathedral and is accessible via a staircase of 259 steps. The gallery gets its name from the way sound travels along its curved surface, allowing whispers to be heard from one side of the dome to the other.

The Golden Gallery: It runs around the highest point of the outer dome, 280 feet high. It locates at the very top when the stairs change to a vertigo inducing, open wrought iron, spiral staircase.

  • THE CRYPT

The crypts  ( stone chamber beneath the floor of a church contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics) at St Paul’s were also constructed for a reason other than housing the dead. The position close to the Thames meant the ground was marshy, so the crypts were built to hold up the structure. As well as to provide a final resting place.

         (Image credit: Pamla J. EisenbergCC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Floor Mosaic, Crypt
  • TOMBS:

   ( Image credit: Tomasz DunnCC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Horatio Nelson's tomb

Sir Christopher Wren

He, the Cathedral’s architect, was the first to be buried in its tombs. The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, Kensington Palace, and yes, even St. Paul’s Cathedral are just some of the many structures he designed in the wake of the Great Fire of London, which destroyed much of old London on a hot summer’s day in 1666.

Horatio Nelson

He is a legend of an admiral without comparison. Horatio Nelson was a hero of the Napoleonic Wars, ensuring decisive victories against the French. He fought constant wars from his younger years through to his Admiralcy, Nelson’s luck ran out during the famous Battle of Trafalgar.  He badly wounded and died. But a man of such renown could not be buried at sea. But the journey from Trafalgar to London is long, and there weren’t exactly freezers back then, so they buried his body in a casket full of brandy, which just so happened to be Nelson’s tipple of choice. The brandy helped preserve the admiral’s body as it was safely transported to St Paul’s.

His uniform at the time of the death with bullet holes are kept in the Imperial War Museum, London. The Trafalgar Square in London’s name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, the British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars over France and Spain that took place on 21st October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar. The site around Trafalgar Square has been a significant landmark since the 1200s.

Joseph Turner

Turner was known for his beautiful paintings capturing the essence of nature’s beauty. Famous for this oceanic artwork, you’ll likely recognise many of his paintings like The Shipwreck, Fisherman at Sea, and The Fighting Temeraire.Turner’s work is almost immediately identifiable. You can see his paintings in National art gallery, London.

    (Image credit: GetArchive | License details)
The Fighting Temeraire Painting by Joseph Turner ( In National Art Gallery London)
  • FUNERAL SERVICES

 A burial/ memorial/ funeral in St. Paul’s remains the highest national honour. Many popular figures have been granted this prestige. The list includes John Donne, Florence Nightingale, William Blake and Sir Alexander Fleming, who all have celebratory monuments. Prime ministers Winston Churchill and more recently Margaret Thatcher have had funeral services held here. St Paul’s naturally receives comparisons to Westminster Abbey in the burials area with both boasting famous historical names.

  • BOMBING ATTEMPT BY SUFFRAGETTES:     

  During suffragettes’ movement (a fight for the right to vote in public elections in the United Kingdom under the banner “Votes for Women”) a battery-powered bomb was planted underneath the bishop’s throne. Luckily for the Cathedral, the faulty bomb failed to go off.  During the same time an incident in British National art gallery caught the public attention. The painting known as the ‘Rokeby Venus’ was slashed by Mary Richardson, a suffragette, which forced the authorities to close the art gallery to the public for two weeks. But sadly, for women, there was no female vote until 1918. Voting equality took even longer to push through and was only introduced in 1928.

  • Artworks around the Cathedral

  1. The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt: Holman Hunt’s painting is one of the most viewed 20th-century art pieces in the world. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). This verse from John’s Gospel is what inspired Holman Hunt to paint this world-famous image. Jesus is knocking at a door, its hinges and nails rusted , symbolising the human’s unopened soul to Christ. It toured the globe, visiting most of the major towns and cities in Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. Today, it has been seen by millions of people and is one of the best-known works of its period.       
  1. Mother and Child: Hood by Henry Moore: The arrival in the Cathedral of a ground-breaking sculpture by Henry Moore initiated a new relationship with contemporary art which continues to this day. The smooth organic form of Henry Moore’s Mother and Child: Hood seems to invite visitors to stroke its marble surface. It is the culmination of Moore’s reflections over many years of the mother and child relationship. Installed in the Cathedral in 1983, it was Moore’s final large-scale work before his death in 1986.
  1. Martyrs and Mary by Bill Viola: These two affecting large-scale video installations were created by internationally acclaimed artist Bill Viola.Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) and Mary are two pieces of video art on long-term loan to the Cathedral from the Tate Modern. Both focus on different topics – the first, martyrdom and suffering, and the second motherhood. These two works offer an opportunity to our visitors to stop and reflect on these important themes and link our building with the work and impact of one of London’s most vital art galleries.
(Image credit: Paul Hudson from United KingdomCC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
The Light of the World William Holman Hunt (1827–1910)
  • OTHER INTERESTING FACTS

St Paul’s has one of the world’s biggest domes and is up there with the likes of the Pantheon in Rome. The dome is around 1,200 feet/366 metres high. You need to use hundreds of stairs to reach the top. You can stop for a rest at the Whispering Gallery for a break.

Martin Luther King once gave a sermon in 1964 at St Paul’s Cathedral which was four years before his assassination. There were over 3,000 people in the congregation. The famous Baptist minister and civil rights movement activist addressed the crowd with a sermon called Three Dimensions to a Complete Life

St Paul’s was also bombed by the German Luftwaffe during the Blitz of the Second World War. Luckily the cathedral escaped relatively unscathed.

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