Ok, so it isn’t particularly hidden. In fact in many ways, St Paul’s is probably the most famous London landmark of all. It’s certainly the most visible, sitting at the centre of several viewing corridors, some from as far away as Richmond. However, its fraught construction period and the superhuman efforts of its architect Sir Christopher Wren are not obvious from first glance.
The cathedral was designed by Christopher Wren in the aftermath of the Great Fire of London (1666), alongside fifty other churches, with his assistant Nicholas Hawksmoor. It is thought to have been the fifth cathedral on the site, although we only know about its immediate predecessor, a Gothic building also called St Paul’s. The creation of a new cathedral was a mammoth undertaking and an important symbol of the city’s phoenix-like rebirth from the ashes.
St Paul’s was Wren’s masterpiece –and he fought tooth and claw for its design. When he began work, the Baroque movement was spreading through Europe and came to influence Wren. He wanted his cathedral to be in this style, with a massive dome, rather than a traditional spire. His cutting-edge style went down like a lead balloon with the authorities, who stamped their little feet and demanded a spire for this most Christian of buildings. So, Wren appeared to capitulate, but secretly built his beloved dome, using the vast amount of scaffolding necessary to hide his true intentions. It was only on opening day the authorities realised they had been well and truly duped!
When Wren began work on St Paul’s, he was already 34 years of age – old by 17th Century standards. However, he lived to see the completion of the cathedral, and then some. His eventual death, at the almost unprecedented age of 91, meant that St Paul’s Cathedral was, and remains, the only major world cathedral to be built within its architect’s lifetime.
So next time you walk past St Paul’s, or catch a glimpse of it from across the city – think about how different the skyline could have looked had the post-fire government had its way!
For more on hidden London, visit London Treasure Hunts at www.london-hunts.com
Tags: Architecture, Christopher Wren, Hawksmoor, History, London Treasure Hunts, St Pauls
October 28, 2010 at 11:14 am |
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