London Landmarks - St Paul's Cathedral

London Landmarks - St Paul's Cathedral

20 April, 2011
by: Spoonfed Team

In the latest instalment of London Landmarks, Jess Jones-Berney takes on a 64,000-tonne dome.

Value: 7
Queues: 8
Shop: 8
Family Friendly: 7
Enjoyment: 9

Total: 39/50

St Paul's, one of London's most alluring landmarks, is looking particularly fresh-faced of late, having emerged from a £40m decade-long latex face mask. My guide, the lovely Hannah Talbot, gives me an anecdote-infused history lesson as we tour Sir Christopher Wren's magnum opus. And what a feat is. As the first cathedral built after the Reformation, its adherence to openness, nature and simplicity reflects the more scaled back style of the time.

Unlike Westminster's role as Royal Parish, St Paul's is somewhat less uppity. It's the Nation's Church, commemorating eminent moments in our history, like Churchill's funeral. But the cathedral's 64,000-tonne dome, an old timer on the London skyline, is the real eye-candy around here. Even though St. Peter's basilica narrowly pips Paul to the post height-wise, Wren proves that it's not all about size, going one better than his Italian predecessors by creating the world's first triple-layered dome. Take that Rome.

However, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the architect: Anglican authorities at the time pushed for a steeple design, not wanting to replicate Europe's domed architecture. But Wren was one crafty fox, slipping a clause in his contact allowing for “ornamental alterations”. Genius. And it's a good thing he did because I doubt a measly steeple would have quite the same grandeur.

This place could well be two cathedrals, considering the schism in its internal architecture. The west side reflects Wren's penchant for simplicity, with plain glass windows and minimal decoration. The east side, on the other hand, is uninhibited Victorian bling, acquiescing to Queen Vic's call for a golden sprucing. The quire benefits most from this embellishment. This is where the choir and clergy chill out on two long stalls ornamented with Grinling Gibbons' delicate flora and fauna carvings. A corn on the cob even makes a rather unexpected appearance.

As with many of London's Landmarks, St Paul's also felt the impact of World War Two. The dome took two direct hits during the Blitz, destroying the chapel. It was captured in Frank Herbert Mason's amazing photograph of the cathedral amid a billowing smoke-consumed skyline. Kudos though to the vocal vigour of choirboys who persisted singing here throughout WW1, even when a bomb landed 150 metres away.

Beneath the bombs' impact now stands the American Memorial Chapel, where pages of the Roll of Honour – a massive book containing the names of US serviceman who died in Britain – are turned daily. Nearby, look out for a random rocket shuttle amidst the lime wood panelling; a nod to the space race era. And the awesome medieval effigy of John “no man is an island” Donne, bearing his Fire of London scorch marks.

But it's time I embark on a vertical pilgrimage, to the galleries above. There's the Whispering Gallery, where whispering into the décor can be heard directly across the gallery; then up to the Stone Gallery, filled with old Roman saints; and then up again, to the Golden Gallery. 528 steps in total, but, despite clinging on for dear life in storm-force winds, it's worth it: the views – of Tate Modern, the Gherkin, and the Shard – are incredible.

Before I leave, now sporting a pretty dishevelled bouffant, I head down to the Crypt. That dude Nelson, who silenced the French and Spanish for an entire century, is down here, resting amid maritime mosaics laid by female convicts of Woking prison. As is the huge granite casket of Wellington, aptly set atop four sleeping lions. What a guy. I make my way out through Churchill's commemorative gates, re-entering London a whole lot more enlightened by the city's unique history. 

For more information visit the St Paul's wesbsite
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Spoonfed Team