| Product: |
St Paul's Cathedral |
| Date: |
10.04.01 (553 review reads) |
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Advantages: Friendly, informed staff, Lots to see, Cheap entrance fee (for a London tourist attraction!)
Disadvantages: Lot of walking to get to the top of the dome, Being quiet (house of worship, and all that...)
Prompted by seeing St Paul's Cathedral at the beginning of the film 'Lawrence of Arabia', where a memorial to the hero was unveiled in the crypt, I decided to pay a visit to one of the most familiar sites on London's skyline. I was impressed by the solemnity that the place still inspires, despite the volume of tourists that visit the cathedral each year, and was surprised by the number of famous British personalities, as well as military figures, commemorated in the building.
HISTORY
The first St Paul's Cathedral was built from wood on the present site back in 604 AD, only to be burnt down in 675, and rebuilt. In 962, the cathedral was burnt down again, this time by Viking invaders, and rebuilt in stone. Work on Old St Paul's Cathedral wasn't completed until 1310.
When lightning struck the cathedral in 1561, Elizabeth I contributed to the repair work. In 1666, the cathedral was destroyed in the Great Fire of London, and two years later, Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to produce a new design for the cathedral. Wren's first two designs for the cathedral were rejected, and a design isn't selected until July 1675.
The cathedral took only 35 years to build, and was the first English cathedral to be completed during the lifetime of the original architect. During construction, the work took place behind big screens, partly so that Wren could charge people to see the building before its completion, to help pay for the construction work, and partly so that no-one could see the changes Wren made to the approved design.
The construction of the cathedral was primarily funded by a tax on coal entering the Port of London, levied to finance the reconstruction of the City following the Great Fire.
The cathedral was first used for a service in December 1697, before the construction work had been completed, at which thanks were given for peace, following a war between England and France.
In 1710, construction work was completed on the cathedral, having been supervised by Wren from beginning to end.
Over the following three hundred years, the cathedral has been the site of numerous major events in British history. Funeral services were held in the cathedral for Admiral Nelson (1806), the Duke of Wellington (1852), and Winston Churchill (1965). Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee service was held in the cathedral in 1897, George V's Silver Jubilee service was held there in 1935, and Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee service was held there in 1977. However, the event that most British people will associate with the cathedral was the marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.
In the Second World War, the cathedral became an icon of hope for the people of London, withstanding the extensive bombing of the city during the Blitz. Photographs of the cathedral's dome surrounded by smoke and fire strengthened the nation's spirit. In 1944, the cathedral's bells, which had remained silent throughout the war, rang to celebrate the liberation of the city of Paris. In 1945, the cathedral held ten services to mark the end of the war in Europe, which were attended by 35,000 people. A fiftieth anniversary service marking the end of the Second World War was held in the cathedral in 1995.
VISITING THE CATHEDRAL
The cathedral is arranged in the shape of a cross, with the great dome over the intersection of the cross. The longer part of the cross runs from west to east, with the main entrance at the west end, and the High Altar in the Quire to the east.
- The Cathedral Floor
When you arrive at the cathedral at the main entrance, you pass the Chapel of All Souls and the Chapel of St Dunstan on the left hand side. The former chapel is dedicated to Field Marshal Lord Kitchener, and the dead of the First World War, and the latter, to St. Dunstan, one time Bishop of London and Archbishop of
Canterbury. After passing these two chapels, you reach the admission desk. St Paul's Cathedral has charged an admission fee since 1709, but fortunately, the price of admission is relatively low. At present, it costs just £5 for adults, and £2.50 for children (concessions and students are £4), which buys you admission to almost every part of the cathedral, including the dome and crypt.
From the entrance, you walk east along the nave of the church. In the north aisle, on the left hand side of the nave, you can see Wellington's monument; an imposing monument to the "Iron Duke", bearing plaques around the base commemorating his victories.
Heading east from there, along the north aisle, you pass a series of plaques commemorating the Deans of St. Paul's Cathedral since 1066, and turn left into the North Transept of the Cathedral. This is where you find the Cathedral's font, and the Middlesex Regiment Chapel, which bears William Hollam Hunt's painting 'The Light of the World', depicting the figure of Christ knocking on a door, as it opens from the inside.
From the North Transept, heading east once more, leads into the Quire. The central part of the Quire, which holds the choir stalls, the High Altar, and the Bishop's Throne, is inaccessible to the public, however, the aisles on either side of the Quire are open to the public. At the west end of the Quire aisles are intricate and elaborate wrought-iron gates designed by French metalworker Jean Tijou, who produced most of the cathedral's metalwork.
In the North Quire Aisle can be found Henry Moore's 'Mother and Child', alongside a small memorial to modern martyrs - Anglicans that have died for their faith around the world since 1850.
The South Quire Aisle holds an effigy of John Donne, a one time Dean of the cathedral, and one of Britain's most famous poets. This statue was the only monument of Old St Paul's to surv
ive the Great Fire, and still bears scorch marks from the fire. The aisle also holds a display cabinet containing some photographs of the cathedral taken during the Blitz.
At the extreme east end of the church in the Apse, behind the High Altar, can be found the American Memorial Chapel, honouring the American servicemen that died in the Second World War, which was dedicated in 1958. A roll of honour, positioned directly behind the High Altar, contains the names of more than 28,000 Americans that died while travelling to, or while stationed within, the UK.
The South Transept holds the Nelson Memorial, which is a far more restrained affair than the Wellington Monument.
The central dome area features an impressive marble floor, however, most eyes will point skyward, towards the intricate, and beautifully decorated dome. The cathedral is still a house of worship, and regular prayers are said on every hour from the pulpit in the centre of the cathedral. Visitors to the cathedral are asked, whatever their denomination, to pause in their tour during the prayers, and listen to the brief sermon. The Lord's Prayer is read at these prayers, and visitors are encouraged to join in its recitation.
The sermon is relayed over the cathedral's public address system all over the building, though not to the upper reaches of the dome, nor to the crypt. I was surprised by the fact that the prayers were relevant to current events, rather than just a standard set text - when I visited the cathedral in early April 2001, prayers were offered for the farmers affected by the foot-and-mouth crisis, for example.
To the east side of the central dome, are two sets of stairs leading down to the cathedral crypt, one on either side of the Quire. To the south-west of the dome is a set of spiral stairs leading up to the Whispering Gallery and Dome.
- Crypt
The crypt houses the bodies of Admiral Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, as
well as a great number of memorials to British soldiers killed in the line of duty. The east part of the crypt houses the graves, memorials and tombs, along with the cathedral treasury. The west part of the crypt has been redecorated to house the cathedral's toilets, shop, refectory and café. The café and refectory are relatively expensive - a cappuccino will set you back a hefty £1.80 in the café.
The extreme east end of the crypt houses the Order of the British Empire Chapel, a solemn place, whose silence is only occasionally broken by the buzz of an overloud audio guide, or an overenthusiastic child. The OBE Chapel houses the majority of the cathedral's memorial plaques, commemorating the artists William Blake, Henry Moore, Edwin Landseer Lutyens, Sir Joshua Reynolds, Antony van Dyck, Joseph Mallard William Turner and Sir John Everett Millais; and scientists Alexander Fleming and Henry Wellcome. Composer Sir Arthur Sullivan (of Gilbert and Sullivan) is buried here
In the south-east corner of the chapel, lies Sir Christopher Wren's rather nondescript tomb, accompanied by a small plaque bearing the epitaph "If you seek his monument look about you", and a stone bearing his architect's mark.
Directly to the west of the entrance to the OBE Chapel is a room containing the tomb of the Duke of Wellington. Wellington's tomb itself is a simple granite casket, surrounded by hanging banners made for his funeral procession. Around the sides of the walls are plaques commemorating Field Marshals during the Second World War, including Viscount Slim and Viscount Montgomery of Alamein.
To the west of Wellington's tomb, is Nelson's tomb, which lies at the centre of eight short corridors, the walls of which are covered with memorials to the British military servicemen who died in action. Nelson's tomb is a far showier affair than Wellington's, and is located directly beneath the cathedral's dome.
Nelson was killed in battle, but was prepared for this eventuality, having taken his coffin to war with him. The coffin had been carved from the mast of a French ship sunk during one of his earlier victories. At one side of the coffin are presented a call to national prayer that Nelson wrote while in view of the enemy, before the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Around Nelson's tomb are arranged numerous memorials, dedicated to the British killed in the Gulf War, at Gallipoli, and in the Falklands Campaign, for example. Plaques are also dedicated to individuals, such as Florence Nightingale and T. E. Lawrence, whose simple bronze bust is positioned high on the wall at the north-west corridor, facing Nelson's tomb. Another bust is dedicated to the memory of George Washington, America's first President.
The Treasury is located to the north of Nelson's tomb, and holds the cathedral's collection of silverware, and the copes worn by the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral at various important events. Many of the treasures on display in the treasury are not owned by St Paul's itself, but by other London churches, as many of St Paul's Cathedral's own treasures have been lost over the years.
The Diamond Jubilee cope worn at Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee service, and the garish Silver Jubilee cope worn at the service for Queen Elizabeth II (which bears representations of the spires of 73 of London's churches) are both on display.
- The Dome & Whispering Gallery
Heading up the low spiral steps from the cathedral floor up to the Whispering Gallery is relatively unchallenging, and only takes a few minutes.
The Whispering Gallery is 99 feet above the church floor, and getting there involves going up 259 steps. The gallery is well below the cathedral's dome, and is best known for its peculiar acoustic properties - if you whisper against the wall on one side of the gallery, you
r whisper can be heard on the other side. This works remarkably well, though obviously is better if there are fewer people in the gallery. If there are a good number of people in the gallery, the continual sussurus is quite unsettling, particularly if, as when I was there, you can pick out a specific voice saying "We know all about you".... At least, I think it was a real voice, and not just in my head...
If you want to continue up the dome, it?s a further 119 steps to the Stone Gallery, level with the lowest part of the dome. These steps are a good deal steeper than those between the Whispering Gallery and the Church Floor, but fortunately there are benches to rest on every twenty-or-so steps if you're as unfit as I am. The Stone Gallery is external, and the south side of it is open to the public on the way up the dome, allowing you excellent views out over the Thames and the Millennium Bridge to the Tate Modern.
From the South Gallery, you can either elect to head back down to the Whispering Gallery (wimp!) or head up to the Golden Gallery. The Golden Gallery is a further 152 steps up, and is 280 feet above the church floor. To get there, you have to walk up an internal staircase, within the outer dome, but inside the inner dome... so you've got a dome surface on either side of you.... Still, the slope of the inner dome surface gives you an idea of how close to the top you are.
When you reach the top, you can look through a small square window down towards the centre of the cathedral floor, far below you, before heading out onto the Golden Gallery. You can walk all the way around the spire in the Golden Gallery, and you get spectacular views out over London on a good day. The Gallery is about two-thirds of the height of the London Eye, but obviously requires a lot more effort to get to!
Walking back down is much less challenging than walking up, obviously, but the stairs are often a lot narrower, so you'd
be well advised to watch your step!
STAFF
I found the staff of St Paul's Cathedral extremely friendly and helpful, and easily the best informed and most enthusiastic employees that I've met at a tourist attraction in London. I asked one guide where I might find the memorial to Lawrence of Arabia, and he not only showed me where it was on the map, but described its location relative to other memorials in that area of the crypt. The guide in the Golden Gallery was also very friendly, and keen to point out major tourist attractions visible from the gallery.
CONCLUSIONS
St Paul's Cathedral is deservedly one of London's most popular tourist attractions. The admission price is not excessive, and there's plenty to see in the cathedral. Obviously, the building is a house of worship, and so visitors should bear this in mind, and show appropriate respect. Anyone interested in British military history will be fascinated by the veterans of major campaigns interred or commemorated in the cathedral. Even if you have no interest in history, there's plenty to see, in the beautiful decoration of the cathedral's interior, and the views from the various galleries around the dome.
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