St. Paul's Cathedral

St. Paul’s is a Church of England cathedral that sits atop Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is one of its most famous and most recognizable sights. With a dome that ranks among the tallest in the world, St. Paul’s stands at 365 ft (111 m) high and is the second largest church in the UK. Dating back to the late 17th century, it was built during major rebuilding works after the Great Fire of London and its dome surrounded by church spires has graced the London skyline for 300 years. Not just a tourist spot, St. Paul’s is a busy working church, with services every day.

St. Paul’s dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to 604 AD, with 4 previous churches having been built on the site—all damaged or destroyed by fire (in 962, 1087, 1136 and 1666). Though the last of these offered the chance for complete reconstruction, the decision was taken to build a completely new and modern church instead. Sir Christopher Wren, having previously designed over fifty City churches, was in charge of designing the new St. Paul’s, and the building went through 5 stages of design as critics forced him to abandon his original ideas. The final design was heavily influenced by St.Peter's Ba­silica in Rome and the saucer domes were inspired by François Mansart's Val-de-Grâce, which Wren had seen when visiting Paris. The new St. Paul’s opened 32 years after having been burned down, the total cost of construction in 1716 being £1,095,556 (£147 million as of 2013).

The cathedral has a large crypt with 200 memorials, but holds very few treasures as many were stolen. There are many plaques, carvings, statues, memorials, and tombs of famous British figures including: Christopher Wren, Lord Nelson, Henry Moore, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Alexander Fleming and Florence Nightingale. The apse of the cathedral holds the American Memorial Chapel and, built entirely by donations from British people, honors American men and women who died in World War II.

There is much to do on your visit to St. Paul’s. You can climb the dome up to the Whispering Gallery and test out its unique acoustics, before climbing a few more steps (271 of them) to the Golden Gallery to enjoy a breathtaking view of London. Try one of the fly-through videos and zoom in on the amazing mosaics and paintings. Or take a guided tour to learn about the cathedral’s his­tory, architecture, and daily life, before traveling back in time with the 270˚ film exhibition, Oculus, taking you through 1,400 years of history. Finally, you can head to The Restaurant for a quintessentially English afternoon tea.

Admission for sightseers is about £14.50 (£12.50 when buying online), but those attending services or wanting a quiet place to pray (at St. Dunstan's Chapel) are not charged to do so. St. Paul's Cathedral is open for sightseeing every Monday to Saturday. There is no sightseeing on Sundays.

Opening Hours

Mon - Sat: 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Admission

Adult: £16.00
Child (6-17): £7.00
Concessions (Students & Seniors): £14.00

Contact

Email: reception@stpaulscathedral.org.uk
Phone: +44 20 7246 8350

• Official website of St. Paul's Cathedral

• St. Paul's Cathedral at Wikipedia