St. Paul’s Cathedral
St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul's Churchyard,
London EC4M 8AD
Tel: 020 7236 4128
About St. Paul's Cathedral
St. Paul’s Cathedral in London is a world-class heritage site and family attraction, offering a dazzling and uplifting family day out. A ticket to the cathedral might not guarantee ascent up the stairway to heaven, but it will lead to an enlightening day out, with Guided tours of St. Paul’s Cathedral and Crypt lasting 90 minutes and including such stunning features as the Quire and geometric staircase.
Founded in 604 AD, St. Paul’s Cathedral is the fourth on the site and was designed by court architect Sir Christopher Wren. Erected between 1675 and 1710, it came into service in 1697. Wren's masterpiece has witnessed the funerals of Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; thanksgiving services at end of the First and Second World Wars; the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, in 1981; and the 80th Birthday of Queen Elizabeth II.
Its stone pillars and arches are adorned with great works of art and monuments, making for a fascinating family day out. The Crypt contains effigies and stone fragments from pre-Fire Of London cathedrals, while the 1695 organ played by Mendelssohn is still in use and Jean Tijou’s impressive iron gates of 1700 still separate the Quire and ambulatory.
Magnificent Victorian mosaics and a 1951 Roll Of Honour mingle in the American Memorial Chapel built after bombing in World War 2, and the church remains a place of worship, as well as an impressive family attraction.
Among the highlights afforded by a ticket to St. Paul’s Cathedral are the Nave, Dome, the Great West Door - nine metres high - and the chapels of All Souls', St. Dunstan's and the St. Michael and St. George. Their first of these flanks the North West Tower and was dedicated in 1925 to Lord Kitchener. Among its artefacts are sculptures of St. Michael and St. George and a fine pietá sculpture of the Virgin and Christ. The silver-plated altar candlesticks are made from London Rifle Brigade trophies. St. Dunstan’s chapel was consecrated in 1699, while Wellington's monument is on the north aisle, completed in 1912. The Chapel of St. Michael and St. George on the south aisle was originally a consistory court. Judgement, however, will not be passed on those enjoying a family day out!
The transepts are the short, central arms of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the northernmost is dominated by artist William Holman Hunt's masterwork, The Light Of The World, from 1900. Regular services are held in the Middlesex Chapel, while an Italian marble font dates to 1727. The southern transept features Nelson's monument, along with memorials to artist J.M.W. Turner and explorer Captain Robert Scott, whose bodies lie in the Crypt.
The Quire is at the east of St. Paul’s Cathedral and houses the choir and clergy. It was the first part of St. Paul’s Cathedral to be built and features exquisite carvings by Grinling Gibbons, plus the Bishop's cathedra (throne). Gibbons decorated the casing of the superlative organ, the third largest in the UK, with 7189 pipes, five keyboards and 138 stops. More than a London bus!
The High Altar of marble and carved and gilded oak dates from 1958 and has a grandiose canopy based on a Wren design. However, arguably his greatest achievement – and a highlight of a family day out to St. Paul’s Cathedral - is the stupendous cruciform Dome. It’s one of the largest cathedral domes in the world, at 111.3 metres high. It weighs 65,000 tonnes, supported by eight pillars – a marvel of engineering, as confirmed by TV’s Fred Dibnah. By ’eck! The Dome’s murals were laid down between 1715 and 1719 by court painter Sir James Thornhill. Additionally, the arches of the inner dome have mosaics of prophets and saints, installed between 1864 and 1888.
Among the Dome’s other facets are the Ball & Lantern, installed in 1821 and standing 23 feet high, and weighing seven tonnes. The Golden Gallery runs around the highest point of the outer dome at 280 feet. It’s accessed via 530 steps – just the ticket if you want to keep fit on your family day out, and well worth the effort! The Stone Gallery stands at 173 feet, reached by 378 steps. Finally, the world-famous Whispering Gallery runs round the interior of the Dome, 259 steps up. It gets its name from the fact that a whisper against its walls is audible on the opposite side.
Another highlight of a family day out in St. Paul’s Cathedral are the bells. There are 12 in the North West Tower, the second largest ring of bells in the world (in B flat) and some 125 years old. The smallest bell, the Treble, weighs half a ton, the largest, the Tenor, over 3 tons. Additionally, there is the original service bell, The Banger. Cast in 1700, it’s regularly rung for 0800 Eucharist. The South West Tower houses Great Paul, the largest bell in the British Isles. It weighs 16½ tons and rings out daily over Ludgate Hill at 1300. Taking in a peeling is fun and novel element of this family attraction.
Back down to earth – or indeed under it – a family day out at St. Paul’s Cathedral would not be complete without an inspection of the Crypt, with Nelson at its centre in a lead-lined casket filled with brandy, camphor and myrrh. It’s housed in a second lead-lined casket and a black velvet and gold gilt mahogany outer casket. He’s interred beneath the black sarcophagus of Cardinal Wolsey from the early 16th century.
The Iron Duke, Wellington, lies in a casket of Cornish granite, the banners hung about coming from his funeral procession.
Sir Christopher Wren is buried at the east end with a stone bearing his architect's mark. He is surrounded by the painters Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir John Everett Millais; the scientist Sir Alexander Fleming; the composer Sir Arthur Sullivan (Gilbert & Sullivan); and sculptor Henry Moore.
At the east end of the Crypt is the OBE Chapel, dedicated in 1960 and boasting regal glass panels and banners. The library of the Dean and Chapter is situated at the Triforium level behind the South West Tower in a chamber designed by Wren. It includes valuable Bibles and liturgies, two thousand volumes from the library of Henry Compton, received in 1712, and a collection bequeathed in 1783 by John Mangey. Large collections of ecclesiastical tracts and pamphlets were added thereafter.
A Tour includes a visit to the library and geometrical staircase, as well as a breathtaking view from the West End (141 steps up) of the Nave. The visit ends in the Trophy Room, containing Wren's Great Model, based on a plan of the Cathedral shaped as a Greek cross. The tour includes ticket entry into the Cathedral, Crypt and Galleries (detailed on the St. Paul’s Cathedral website) .
Ticket holders can gain access to the St. Paul’s Cathedral shop and refectory as part of their family day out. The crypt Shop stocks exclusive merchandise, books and religious items, and is entered via the West Front steps. The adjacent Refectory is open as a self-service restaurant. Educational tours for schools are available along with private tours and corporate events for up to 350.