London Art Tours - for the visitor to London who wishes to view and experience the incomparable art and architecture of the city, via galleries and exhibitions.

St. Paul's Cathedral St. Paul's Churchyard, London, EC4M 8AD tel: 020-7236 4128 www.stpauls.co.uk tube: St. Paul's Mon-Sat 08:30-16:00 Please note that the Cathedral is open for worship but closed to visitors on Sundays admission: £7 (£6)

St. Paul's Cathedral is the crowning achievement of Sir Christopher Wren, the architect principally responsible for the rebuilding of London after the devastating Great Fire of London in 1666. It was the first cathedral in Britain to be built in the classical style and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest masterpieces of Western European architecture. The majestic dome rises to a height of 365 feet and weighing 65,000 tons it is a triumph of engineering as well as design. It continues to dominate the London skyline despite the many taller buildings that surround it today. Climb the 259 steps to The Whispering Gallery and you will experience the strange acoustic which allows you to hear someone sitting on the opposite side speaking in a whisper. Higher still is the Stone Gallery, but for the best panoramic views climb to the top of the Dome and from the Golden Gallery you will see the whole of London spread before you - not recommended for vertigo-sufferers. The Dome's survival during the Second World War became a symbol of the endurance and tenacity of the people of London during the devastation of the Blitz. The product of the city's destruction in the 17th century became an icon for its defiance of the wars of the 20th century. The American War Memorial Chapel commemorates the 28,000 citizens of the United States who gave their lives in the Second World War while stationed in the UK. The cathedral is used for services of national celebration and thanksgiving. It was here in 1981 that the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place, watched by a worldwide TV audience of 700 million. In the crypt of St Paul's are buried many of the most important figures in British History. Our greatest naval hero Admiral Lord Nelson, victor of the Battle of Trafalgar rests beneath the centre of the Dome in a sarcophagus intended for Cardinal Wolsey. Nearby lies the Duke of Wellington. The British painters Turner, Reynolds, Millais, Leighton and Lawrence are all buried here. Under a plain marble slab lie the remains of Sir Christopher Wren. An inscription reminds us that the cathedral itself is his monument: "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice". (Reader, if you seek his monument look around you) The Whispering Gallery Thornhill, Scenes from the Life of St Paul, 1713-19 (the dome paintings) Holman Hunt, The Light of the World, 1900 Quire mosaics, 1891-1904 The American Memorial Chapel, 1958 Moore Mother & Child, 1984 The Treasury