St Paul's Cathedral River Thames London Britain All Over Travel Guide

St Paul’s Cathedral, London

History | Architecture | Access | Cathedrals in Britain

St. Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London is a powerful icon of the city up there with such popular London attractions as Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace and Piccadilly Circus.

The dome of St Paul’s Cathedral seen from the south bank of the River Thames, London

St. Paul’s is, as every British schoolgirl and schoolboy should know, the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren and part of his plan for the rebuilding of London following the Great Fire of 1666.

Front of the cathedral

History

A St. Paul’s Cathedral had stood on the spot since 604 and the present building, the fourth, was constructed between 1675 and 1710.

St. Paul’s stands at the very heart of some momentous occasions in British history including the state funerals of such celebrated warriors as Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, and Sir Winston Churchill, the Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria, and, of course, the royal wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana took place at St. Paul’s. Diana’s funeral took place at Westminster Abbey.

Christopher Wren’s masterpiece

Architecture

The dome at St Paul’s is modeled on that of St. Peter’s in Rome and is 108 meters tall – St. Paul’s remained the tallest building in Britain, in fact, until 1962.

The cathedral holds the tombs, statues, or memorial plaques of a number of famous people including the poet John Donne, The Duke of Wellington, Lord Nelson, Sir Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, Florence Nightingale, and Dr. Samuel Johnson, who also lived nearby.

The iconic dome of the cathedral

The exterior of St. Paul’s sustained bomb damage in World War II but remained intact as a symbol of British defiance despite a few very close shaves.

South of the River Thames near St. Paul’s is Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, Tate Modern, and also the London Eye.

The view of the cathedral from the South Bank looking north across the River Thames

Access – Getting There

St Paul’s Cathedral (www.stpauls.co.uk)
Saint Paul’s Church Yard
London EC4M 8AD
Tel: 020 7246 8357

The nearest tube stations to the cathedral are St. Paul’s on the Central Line and Mansion House on the District & Circle Line.

Various London buses also stop close by. These include the 11, 15, 17, 26, and 76 which all stop on St Paul’s Churchyard. The 4, 76, and 521 services stop at New Change.

Nearby hotels include the four-star Leonardo Royal and the Club Quarters Hotel St. Paul’s, also with four stars.

London Map

Images © Hiro Taniguchi