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St
Paul's Cathedral Official Web Site |
St
Paul's Cathedral |
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Designed by Christopher Wren, St Paul's Cathedral was built between
1675 and 1710 as a replacement for the cathedral burnt down in the
great fire of London.
The classical dome dominates the city area of London of which it
is part. St Paul's is the UK's premier religious cathedral, if there
is a royal wedding or major memorial service this is where it will
be. Many of England's famous historical figures are buried here.
In medieval times executions took place outside St Paul's Cathedral.
This includes in 1606 the conspirators of the
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Gunpowder
Plot to blow up the King, James 1 and 500 MP's at Westminster. The
churchyard was also once a centre for second hand books and a publishing
area. Shakespeare is just one who was published from here.
The original St Paul's was found in 604. Several buildings have stood
here, the current one dates back to 1666 when the Great Fire of London
occurred and St Paul's' had to be rebuilt. The first service was held
in 1697, a special levy on coal being applied to pay for the building.
Christopher Wren was responsible for the Cathedral and it is acknowledged
as one of the finest buildings of its era.
The Cathedral is famous for its dome, the second biggest in the world
after St Peter's in Rome. Many royal marriages have taken place here
including that of Prince Charles and Diana in 1981.
National heroes, including Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and
Winston Churchill are buried in the Cathedral’s Crypt.
An American Memorial Chapel was rebuilt after the Blitz and commemorates
members of the US forces who gave their lives in Britain during the
Second World War.
The pinnacle of any trip to St Paul’s is to climb the spiral
staircase to the Whispering Gallery to sample its unique audio effects
before travelling up and out to the Stone and Golden Galleries, which
afford a panoramic view of London that is second to none!
St-Paul's is a fully working Anglican Cathedral with frequent services
throughout the week. Remember St-Paul's is primarily a functioning
Cathedral, if it is an important part of your visit check out the
web site in advance, closures are frequent because of special services.
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Admission
Charges 2008
Adult
£10.00, Children (7-16) £3.50, Family Tickets £23.50
(2 adults, 2 children)
St Paul's Cathedral is a working cathedral so access may be restricted
at times
Opening
Times
08:30
to 16:00 (Monday to Saturday)
There
are guided tours of the Cathedral and Crypt lasting between 1.5
- 2 hours.
Tours commence at 11.00, 11.30, 13.30 & 14.00 and are limited
in numbers.
(Additional charge)
Audio
tours are available between 09.00 - 15.30, (also additional charge)
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Getting
to St Paul's :
St Paul's
has an Underground station named after it on the Central Line. Blackfriars
Station on the Circle and District Line is only about 300m from St
Paul's Cathedral too.
Blackfriars also has a railway station used by the First Capital trains
between Gatwick and Luton stopping amongst others at Kings Cross and
London Bridge. |
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The
very popular hop
on, hop off London tour buses of course also stop at St Paul's
Cathedral.
Frequent buses connect St Paul's Cathedral with the Tower of London.
Going the other way many buses travel through Aldwych and onto Trafalgar
Square, geographically the Centre of London.
The Millennium pedestrian bridge crosses the River Thames in front
of St Paul's Cathedral over to Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and the
Tate Modern museum. |
What
To Do Around St Paul's :
St Paul's is in the City Of London, the original and oldest part of
London that once had a city wall circling it. There are many places
of interest within a 5 minute walk. These include the London Museum,
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre and the Tate Modern.
We have made available a free self guided walk, (outline map below)
that includes St Paul's and makes a circuit of the best of the City
of London.
See: City
of London Self Guided Walk Pages
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