St Paul’s Cathedral: The Dome Built Despite the Objections

The church authorities wanted a spire. Christopher Wren was given the official warrant to build a cathedral with a spire. He built a dome anyway. The warrant had a clause allowing for “ornamental rather than essential” changes during construction; Wren interpreted this to cover replacing the entire structural form of the building. He was never prosecuted, probably because the result was extraordinary, and he was never brought to account, probably because he outlived most of the people who might have complained. He died at 91, in 1723, thirteen years after the cathedral was completed.

The dome is the argument. At 111 metres to the cross, it held the record for London’s tallest building from 1710 until 1963 and remains the city’s defining skyline element when you see it from the south. The engineering is a three-shell solution: a brick inner dome, a structural brick-and-stone cone between them that bears the lantern weight, and an outer timber-framed lead dome. Wren studied Les Invalides in Paris and St Peter’s in Rome and improved on both. He spent the last years of his life being carried to the cathedral by sedan chair to inspect the progress.

Visiting

The cathedral is at the top of Ludgate Hill, served by St Paul’s Underground (Central Line, one-minute walk). Sightseeing entry costs around £23 for adults; the building is free for worship. Hours are Monday to Saturday 08:30-16:30 (last entry 16:00). Booking online at stpauls.co.uk is worth doing for weekends. Audio guides are included with entry.

The standard visit covers the nave, crypt, and dome climbs. The Whispering Gallery sits at 99 steps, inside the dome’s base. The acoustic effect (a whisper against the wall on one side is audible 34 metres away on the other) is real but hard to experience on busy days. Worth stopping for the view down into the nave and the first close look at the dome mosaics.

The Stone Gallery (143 further steps) is the external platform at 53 metres, with good views of the City. The Golden Gallery (152 more steps, 85 metres total) is at the lantern base, outside and fully exposed. The view from here is better than anything else accessible to the public in the City: 360 degrees, the Thames and Tate Modern to the south, Tower of London and Gherkin to the east, Westminster beyond St James’s Park. The climb is steep in the final section. Go up.

The Crypt

Wren’s crypt runs the full length of the building and is one of the largest in Europe. Buried here: Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington (porphyry sarcophagus), J.M.W. Turner, Henry Moore, and Wren himself. Wren’s epitaph in the floor reads: “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice” - Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you. The crypt café is accessible without a sightseeing ticket; it’s one of the better places in the City for lunch.

The Surrounding Area

The Millennium Bridge connects St Paul’s to Tate Modern on the South Bank. It opened in 2000, wobbled from resonance frequency problems on the first day, was immediately closed, and reopened in 2002 after engineering modifications. The view looking north from the bridge toward St Paul’s at dusk is the one photographers use.

Paternoster Square, immediately north of the cathedral, contains Temple Bar - the original 1672 gate to the City of London, relocated from Fleet Street in 2004. The ceremony at which the sovereign must ask permission to enter the City of London still occurs at Temple Bar during state visits.

Where to Eat Nearby

Blacklock on Old Bailey (10 minutes’ walk) does the best chops in the City - grass-fed British lamb and pork over charcoal. The Sunday chops feast at around £27 is one of the better-value serious lunches in London. Book ahead. Sweetings on Queen Victoria Street has been a fish restaurant since 1889, open weekday lunchtimes only, no reservations. Potted shrimp, fish pie, dressed crab, good port. A genuine City institution that has survived by not needing to change.