St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of my favourite cathedrals in the world. It doesn’t have the same medieval feeling that most European cathedrals do, and has played host to several key events in history. (Inlcuding the Prince of Wales’ 1981 wedding, the lowering of the tomb of Admiral Lord Nelson, and the Queen’s Thanksgiving ceremonies!) Unsurprisingly, you can’t take pictures inside the cathedral (although I might have snuck one…). However, you can take photos when you have hiked to the top of the cathedral! The view from St. Paul’s Cathedral is one of the best views in London, and is an absolute must for anyone visiting.
St. Paul’s Cathedral was rebuilt after the 1666 London Fire, and designed by the famed English architect Sir Christopher Wren. (He was also the architect to take the helm of the Georgian bits of Hampton Court Palace…) It sits on Ludgate Hill, the highest place in London, and has been a standard in London’s skyline for over 300 years now.
The hike up to the top of the dome of St. Paul’s will take a few minutes. Almost 600 steps up means that you need to be fairly committed to make it up there. If you do have the mobility for it, I would certainly recommend taking half an hour to walk up and down the spiral staircase and to truly enjoy it all. I loved being able to look at and see all of the construction- although I tend to see London as a very historic city (as an historian), I often forget just how much building and growth is happening every day in the city.
However, my absolute favourite shot is looking down on the rest of the cathedral! When you are inside a cathedral, it can sometimes be difficult to actually see the true layout. Pillars and walls tend to get in the way, and when you are wandering on the ground floor, you don’t always get that picture in your mind’s eye of what you are actually looking at. This view down gives you the perfect picture of the cathedral as a whole, though- Wren truly created a masterpiece!
Have you seen the view from St. Paul’s Cathedral yourself??
Cheers,
The Historian
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Looks spectacular!