Saturday 7 February 2015

Saint Paul's Cathedral London

My recent reading of Smith (see my review)  made me reminisce fondly about my trip to London in 2013- my first visit to that great city, all too short. We stayed very close to St Paul's, which was the area where Smith was set. I'm know that my 21st century experience of London was vastly different to Smith's 18th century London.

We made sure to visit Saint Paul's Cathedral, it was just one of many wonderful things we did that week. I knew from my extensive prereading that this is the 5th Saint Paul's to stand on the site. The previous four having burnt down.

First glimpses are always exciting.




London does grand quite well.





You have to pay 17 pounds to enter, and then they don't want you to take photos. Humph. Quite a common scenario in London actually. It's dumb. It's beautiful and fascinating inside, and people want to share it with their friends, which will, in turn make more people want to go and pay their £17. We timed our visit to end with Evensong, which was quite delightful.

That gold tiling is captivating. 










You can climb to the roof for great views over London.




It's quite high up.

The crypt is interesting too. Nelson's Tomb. Wellington's Tomb. Sir Christopher Wren's Tomb.




You might even spend enough time inside for the skies to clear a little bit.





Saint Paul's Cathedral
Sightseeing Monday - Saturday 8.30-4.30
£17 adults, £7.50 children (6-17 years) for sightseeing
Free entry for worship at all times

Take a fun trip to the British Isles
every Friday with Joyweesemoll

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7 comments:

Brona said...

Thanks for this lovely trip down memory lane for me too, although I don't remember any fee back in 1991!
Did you visit the Whispering Gallery while you were there?

Anonymous said...

Beautiful photos! Glad you have them to share. ;) i'm always amazed by how England rebuilt after the war, this the fifth St. Paul's, just awesome.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

London! How gorgeous!!!

Laurel-Rain Snow said...

I always enjoy reading books or seeing movies set in London....thanks for sharing the photos. Gorgeous!

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Sandra Nachlinger said...

Beautiful photos of a lovely place. We visited London many years ago and explored Saint Paul's Cathedral. Your pictures make me want to return to that vibrant city.
My Saturday Snapshot post features BIKES!

Joy said...

Beautiful photos! We didn't go inside but I loved the way St. Paul's fits in the landscape and pops into view when I'm not expecting it.

Thanks for participating in British Isles Friday!

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Unknown said...

Saint Paul's Cathedral looks absolutely amazing! That gold plating and detail is really cool. I love seeing the result of so much dedication and work to these medieval buildings.
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