Although I've passed St Paul's Cathedral quite a few times in my lifetime, it was only the second time I'd been inside; the last being on a day trip to London during the year following Charles and Di's wedding, which took place just after my birthday in 1981. As a kid I was fascinated by the whole wedding; from the pomp and pageantry to Diana's magnificent gown and Diana herself. She was certainly an enthralling character (to everyone it would seem except, sadly, Charles.)
Here's a PDF of the bride and groom leaving St Paul's on that momentous July day...
The Great West Door is only opened for big ceremonial occasions, but this Anglican cathedral offers daily Christian worship, and serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London.
Looking into the Whispering Gallery, which is so-called because if you whisper or murmur against the wall around the gallery a listener with their ear to the wall can hear it at any other point along the gallery. We ventured up the steps to see it closely, but unfortunately you cannot take photographs once you reach it.
Staring back down the aisle at the Great West Door, and this building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Although best known as an architect, he actually began his career as an astronomer! Building began in 1675, the Quire opened for worship in 1697 and the cathedral was declared complete on Christmas Day 1711.
Closer to the Great West Door, and the cathedral has been maintained and refurbished, with upkeep costing £12 million a year. That, and the fact that the cathedral receives no regular state funding, probably explains why it's not cheap to venture inside as a tourist (although attending services here is free) with basic adult tickets costing £26.
The Baptismal Font is huge.
The city, with the "Walkie Talkie" building to the right...
The Shard...
The Millennium Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe and the Tate Modern...
Blackfriars Bridge, the London Eye viewing wheel and the "church" to the right is actually the south west tower of St Paul's Cathedral! Great Paul- a bell weighing in at an impressive 16.75 imperial tons- is housed in this tower.
The Post Office Tower is in the centre of the photo, and the Old Bailey to the centre right...
The Monument is a structure erected to commemorate the Great Fire of London, and you can climb the 311 steps to the top...
These photos were taken following our final climb to the Golden Gallery; 528 steps and 85 metres from the floor of St Paul's.
Although it attracted criticism as it was over-the-top (it was the 80s, after all!) and extremely creased when she exited the Glass Coach with her father, Diana's dress remains one of my favourites as it was so iconic. It was one of the things that influenced me to initially pursue a career in fashion.
Here's a blog I put together a few years back about my favourite royal wedding dresses:-
Back to 2025, and it was my birthday and a pretty hot day when I visited with my friend.
Jumping off the bus in the City of London, and here's my first view of its magnificent dome. The cathedral is 365ft (111 m) tall.
Venturing closer, and from 1710 to 1963, St Paul's Cathedral was the tallest building in London...
Looking up the 24 steps at the front of the cathedral, which is still a busy working church serving London.
Entering and walking down the nave, and the only church building larger in area than St Paul's in the United Kingdom is Liverpool Cathedral.
And now for my first glimpse upwards into the great dome- which is actually a nest of three domes, and one of the largest cathedral domes in the world. It weighs approximately 65,000 tonnes. Wowzer! It was designed to resemble the inside of a lantern and was initially painted by artist James Thornhill, with scenes depicting the life of St Paul. Deterioration meant that it was repainted in 1853.
Standing underneath the dome and there has been a cathedral erected on this site since 604 AD. The first burned down in 675 and was replaced, but this version was destroyed by invading Danes in 962. The third cathedral was consumed by a fire in 1087 and the fourth destroyed during the Great Fire of London, in 1666.
This is the fifth incarnation of the cathedral, but during the fourth incarnation, during the Civil War, St Paul's was used as a cavalry barracks by the Parliamentary army. It was alleged that a foal was baptised in the font!
Gawping down the aisle again, and the cathedral has been under threat over the years; the most significant period being WWII, when St Paul's was struck twice by bombs during the Blitz- but the iconic dome remained untouched, and stood as a symbol for Britain. St Paul's was also the target of suffragette bombings in 1913 and 1914, although these bombs were discovered before they could explode.
These are cruciform sculptures created to remember those who died in WW1 (1914-1918).
They sit on either side of the central aisle, are by artist Gerry Judah, and were put in place to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the war.
There are several statues around the cathedral depicting notable individuals. This one is dedicated to Charles Cornwallis (1738-1805). He traversed America, Ireland, France and India in service of the British Empire.
Standing under the magnificent dome looking forwards towards the Dome Altar...
Right in the centre on the spectacular, eye-catching floor, underneath the dome...
Staring back over the curvature of the floor tile pattern, and towards the Great West Door...
The Dome Alter, and behind that the cathedral organ to the top left is one of four organs which can be found within these walls. This model dates from 1694 and contains 7,256 pipes.
The ceiling of the Quire is covered in mosaics, and the tesserae depict the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, and Evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
Standing in front of the High Altar, looking over the Quire and the choristers' stalls...
The High Altar, and this opulent marble-based altar originally dated from 1870-1900, but was damaged by WWII bombing and replaced in the 1950s.
The altar canopy is 54 ft high and 26 ft wide, and supported by spiral oak columns decorated with a wreath of bay leaves. At the top are four angels and a figure of the Risen Lord.
The ostentatious drum of the dome is pierced by lunettes...
Looking back through the High Altar...
Behind the High Altar is the American Memorial Chapel, representing the sacrifice of American servicemen who died during WWII whilst serving in Britain. It dates from 1958.
Mother and Child: Hood, 1983, by Henry Moore (1898-1986). The sculpture represents the three stages of parenting: conception, gestation and parenting. It sits in the Minor Canons' Aisle; part of the North Quire Aisle.
Highlights from the textiles collection...
Statue of artist Joseph Mallord William Turner...
Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723).
We climbed the 257 steps up to the Whispering Gallery and sat there a while, then ventured up towards the Stone Gallery (376 steps in total) and outside to take in the magnificent view over London.
Here are the City of London's skyscrapers, and I've blogged about the Sky Garden, which is inside the Walkie Talkie, link:-
The Crypt was very cool and holds the tombs of some very significant figures, such as Vice-admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). His leadership brought about significant victories during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Incidentally, the mosaic on the floor was created by female prisoners; as during the second half of the 19th century well-behaved London inmates were selected to learn the craft of mosaic making!
The Duke of Wellington (1769-1862) was a British army officer and commander, and responsible for leading the defeat against Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.
The Chapel of St Faith's is dedicated to the OBE...
Into this little chapel, and you can only marry in St Paul's if you or your parents carry certain knighthoods (which excludes most of us!)
The inscription below the stone starts: "This stone bearing the mark of SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN was found near the site of an ancient wharf at Portland from whence stone was transported by sea and the River Thames for the building of the Cathedral."
Sir Christopher Wren's tomb. His epitaph says: "Reader, if you seek his memorial, look around you."
Side space for reflection and prayer, and a plaque to artist, poet and mystic William Blake (1757-1827) sits inside here.
Florence Nightingale's Memorial. She lived from 1820-1910, and was an English social reformer and the founder of modern nursing, and often referred to as " The Lady with the Lamp."
In the artists' tombs and memorials section we have Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896) He was a founder of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood...
Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) was an English Romantic painter...
Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) was an English portrait artist...
A couple of random statues/ effigies which appealed to me...
This composition dedicated to Lord Rodney, Vice Admiral of England (1718-1792) is almost sensual...
These always appeal to me as I'm a touch macabre, and you do feel a real historical vibe traversing this section. This must be old, as it's honouring William Hewit, a patriotic merchant who died in 1599.
Outside, and around the corner from the cathedral are the remains of the east wall of Christ Church Greyfriars. This section was demolished in 1973, for road widening, and now serves as a public garden.
St Paul's Cathedral. I'm sure I will return!
Until then,
TTFN
Miss Elaineous
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