44. St Paul’s Cathedral

The tour of St Paul’s Cathedral was led by James Campbell, an architect and architectural historian at Cambridge University. Campbell affirms the world-famous St Paul’s as Sir Christopher Wren’s masterwork.

Designed in the English Baroque style, the historic landmark was completed in 1711 and was part of a major rebuilding programme in the City after the Great Fire of London.

The tour started at the nave on the Cathedral floor, setting a magnificent view of the full church to the Quire. Campbell paid homage to the marble sculptures in the north and south transept before entering into the Quire and High Altar. Either side, the choir stalls display delicate carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The darkened oak is a feast for the eyes, with limewood putto between the timber arches.

The tour continued onto the crypt visiting the tombs of Lord Nelson, Duke of Wellington and finally of Wren himself. Campbell ended the tour with a visit to the 3 Domes of the Cathedral. First, the 259 step climb to the Whispering Gallery running around the interior of the Dome, fondly named, as a whisper against the wall on one side can be heard on the opposite, followed by the second Dome, the Stone Gallery, the first of the galleries encircling the exterior of the Dome. Finally the Golden Gallery, the smallest of the galleries and runs around the highest point of the outer Dome, providing spectacular views of the London skyline.