St Paul’s Cathedral Dome (the very heart of London)
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren (who is buried in the crypt), St Paul’s Cathedral stands at the very heart of London city. The 365 feet dome is one of the largest in the world. And from the highest point, you can see the entire city, including all its green parks and spaces.
The cathedral contains a Whispering Gallery (with perfect acoustics, a whisper against the wall can be heard over 100 feet away) and a huge pipe organ. Once the tallest building in London, this is where Charles and Diana married. It was also featured in the film Mary Poppins.
The cathedral was actually the second (the first was destroyed in a fire). And survived numerous bombs during World War II.
In 1964, visiting preacher Martin Luther King Jr delivered a sermon, to a packed gallery, en-route to Norway to collect the Nobel Peace Prize. Four years later he was assassinated for his part in the US civil rights movement, he was just 39 years old.
Who Was Sir Christopher Wren?
Royal observatory (Greenwich) by Mike Green
A renowned architect, astronomer and mathematician, Sir Christopher Wren is credited with practically rebuilding London, after the great fire of 1666. Although his most famed creation was St Paul’s Cathedral, he also designed 52 other city churches, the Royal Observatory, Chelsea Hospital and Sheldonian Theatre.
Born in Wiltshire in 1632, he was educated at posh Westminster School and later studied science at Oxford University. Influenced by French and Italian Baroque architecture he saw on a trip to Europe, he even has a crater on the planet Mercury named after him!
