St Paul’s Cathedral Visit With Its Incredible London Views

I had walked past St Paul’s Cathedral on countless occasions since unexpectedly becoming a regular to the area in February. My husband had been residing at a nearby hospital and I’d vowed to see inside Christopher Wren’s London landmark while it was part of my route. With my husband due to be transferred imminently, I knew I had to take the opportunity and finally go in.

Background

There has been a church dedicated to St Paul in the spot on Ludgate Hill since 604. Wren’s cathedral is the fifth incarnation replacing the Gothic-style building started by the Normans. It was damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666 although plans were already afoot to rebuild the cathedral as it had become rundown and damaged. Christopher Wren was the man for the job. He was tasked with rebuilding 50 churches in the City of London after the fire (he was a busy man)!

Visiting St Paul’s

Pay less for your tickets by buying online. I paid £16 (rather than £18 on the door) and set the date for my visit. One sunny Monday morning I walked up the same steps royalty had taken to get wed and worshippers had climbed for the past 300 years.

As well as saving money, buying online it meant I joined the fast track queue (hurrah). Plus, my ticket is valid for one year. Turns out I could have gone inside the cathedral every time I’d visited my husband – if I’d so wished!

The ticket includes a guided tour and/or audio guide. With the tour lasting 90 minutes, I opted to do things at my own pace and grabbed an audio guide.

As you walk in and look up at its dome, the grandeur of St Paul’s hits you. This is where Prince Charles and Diana got married, the funerals of prominent figures such as Sir Winston Churchill, Horatio Nelson and Margaret Thatcher took place as well as the Jubilee celebrations of Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth II.

No photography is allowed inside so you’ll have use a bit of your imagination. I went for the ‘highlights’  in the audio guide. Here’s some of the features which stuck out.

Dome

The central feature is the dome which covers the main body of the Cathedral. Look up and you’ll see eight black and white scenes of the life of St Paul. The colours were used for religious and political reasons – and didn’t sit well with everyone – being deemed too Catholic and unpatriotic.

Whispering Gallery

You can walk up 257 steps to the Whispering Gallery and get closer to the Dome. The audio guide describes each of the eight scenes. If you are with someone else, you can see for yourself how it gets its name. Whisper into the curved wall on one side and the other person on the opposite side should hear due to the shape of the dome (if there’s not too much background noise). An unintentional design feature.

Henry Moore Sculpture

If you walk towards the Altar on the left hand side (the North Quire Aisle) you come across a marble sculpture by British art legend Henry Moore sculpture, Mother and Child. He carved it towards the end of his life when he was 85.

Top of St Paul’s

The highlight of my trip to St Paul’s were the views of London from the top of the dome.

I will warn you, the walk up it isn’t for the faint hearted. If you do not like heights, have health issues or get claustrophobic, do not attempt. There are 528 steps to the very top.

Walk up to the Whispering Gallery and you’re a third of way there. As you ascend, the stairs become steeper and narrower. The first outdoor area, the Stone Gallery (376 steps), has a large concrete structure around it and space to wander around. This viewpoint is stunning as you get a 360 degree look at London.

It also gives you the opportunity to see more of St Paul’s as you look over one of its spires both to the north and the south – with the London Eye and the River Thames in the distance.

When it was built, St Paul’s was the tallest structure in London. Until 1967, no other building was allowed to be higher. Since then London has changed dramatically with skyscrapers popping up all the time.

This is the place to take some time out and look down at the busy London streets and its monuments. There’s a stillness up there which gets swallowed up at ground level by the mass of buildings.

Boats chug along the Thames while cars creep along the roads. Workers rush from one meeting to the next and motorbikes rev their engines. At the top of St Paul’s you can hear the sound of seagulls gliding across the Thames.

I wonder how many people in the past 300 years have looked down. Each time seeing something a little different as the ever-changing face of London evolves. The scaffolding and cranes on view are testimony to that.

Golden Gallery

At the top of the cathedral, it’s easy to see the dominance St Paul’s commanded over London.

It’s an important landmark for London and its dome a iconic feature. The cathedral survived the Blitz during World War II despite two bombings. A third bomb was detonated in time. If it had gone off the damage would have been catastrophic. Winston Churchill saw it as a key landmark to maintain morale and urged resources to be directed to save the cathedral during fires caused by the Blitz in 1940.

The Golden Gallery is a small space. There’s no concrete around it but a metal railing so I wouldn’t advise if you have issues with heights. It does give you an unobscured, panoramic view of London and is absolutely worth the climb.

Crypt

To exit the cathedral, you go down into the crypt. As I was running low on time I didn’t get the chance to inspect the area. But I was treated to the angelic sounds of the boys choir rehearsing – what a fitting end to my visit. I had a quick look at the tomb of Admiral Nelson but there are many others including the Duke of Wellington and Sir Christopher Wren himself.  The crypt also has a café and a space to have afternoon tea if you fancy splashing out.

I spent longer than I thought I would visiting St Paul’s (around an hour and a hour) but still have much to explore. Good news that I have 12 months to go back and look in further detail. As for climbing those steps, well, it’s certainly a good workout and those views make it all worthwhile.

Need to know

– Adult tickets cost £16 online or it is £18 on the door. Children (6-17 years) cost £7 online (£8 on the door. The tickets are valid for one year.
– Worshippers at the cathedral do not have to pay entry.
– It opens Monday-Thursday, 8.30 – 4.30pm. Closed to sightseers on Sundays.
– For more information, visit the website

St Paul’s Cathedral with Kids

The audio guide has a version for children which tells the story of St Paul’s through the eyes of a Phoenix. I recently revisited with my daughter (using the same ticket I bought on my previous trip) as part of our Great Fire of London walk. She was amazed at the cathedral and gasped when she looked up at the dome.

We had a quick look around the cathedral and lingered in the crypt where there was an exhibition on The Great Fire of London.

I wouldn’t recommend going right up to the top with small children, even in a baby carrier. The stairs are narrow with low ceilings at some points (even diminutive me bumped my head and I don’t usually have to pay much attention to ‘mind your head signs’).

There isn’t a lot of space at the top either and it gets busy. Teenagers will be fine. For younger children who can walk up the 376 steps, the Stone Gallery Level would be preferable as there’s more space to walk around.

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