St Paul's Cathedral, London — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

St Paul's Cathedral is Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece and one of the most important churches in the world. Its dome, rising 111 metres above Ludgate Hill, has been a defining feature of the London skyline since 1710.

The current cathedral is the fifth church on this site. The previous one, Old St Paul's, was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Wren was commissioned to design a replacement, and construction took 35 years (1675-1710). When the last stone of the lantern was placed, Wren's son Christopher Jr. set it while his 78-year-old father watched from below.

The dome is an engineering triumph. It consists of three shells: an inner dome visible from inside, an outer dome visible from outside, and a hidden structural cone between them that supports the lantern. The Whispering Gallery, running around the interior of the dome at 30 metres up, has a remarkable acoustic property: a whisper against the wall on one side can be heard clearly on the opposite side, 34 metres away.

St Paul's has hosted some of Britain's most significant ceremonies, including the funerals of Lord Nelson (1806) and Winston Churchill (1965), and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (1981). During the Blitz, the cathedral became a symbol of London's resilience, surviving while buildings around it burned.

If you're on a Questo quest through the City of London, St Paul's is a stop where Wren's genius, London's determination, and 1,400 years of worship come together under one dome.