Of all the well-known and famous sights of London, St Paul’s Cathedral holds a special place. Steeped in history and surviving air raids in two different world wars, it’s a special site and one of the most beloved structures in the whole capital.
St Paul’s rich and fascinating history makes it must-see whilst you are in the capital and, what’s more, it’s close to the many Montcalm hotels near Central London, so it’s very easy to get to.
Ancient History
Whilst today St Paul’s is most associated with Christopher Wren and its current appearance, there is evidence to show that major religious buildings have been on-site since at least the 7th century. It was famous medieval chronicler Bede who we can first rely on to provide an accurate account of this most famous site. It’s astonishing to think that all of this took place near Montcalm’s many hotels near Central London, but such is the historical nature of the capital
According to Bede, it was St Augustine who consecrated Mellitus as the very first bishop to the East Saxon kingdom, under the rule of King Saebert. It was Saebert’s uncle – Aethelberht who built the first church on the Ludlow Hill site, gifting it to newly appointed Bishop Mellitus. Following the death of Saebert, his kingdom promptly returned to paganism and kicked out Bishop Mellitus. Following this, a Christian restoration saw new churches on the site, which were routinely burned during outbreaks of war but the fourth iteration of St Paul’s – built in 1087 by the Normans – was gradually added to and refined right up until 1666.
Christopher Wren
In 1666, during the Great Fire of London, Old St Paul’s was completely gutted and virtually destroyed. Because of this and a desire to make London a modern city by the standards of the day, the decision was made to build a completely new cathedral.
In came Sir Christopher Wren, the pre-eminent architect and designer of the realm. Following the fire of London, Wren had free reign to design St Paul’s as he saw fit. The result is what we see today. The modern St Paul’s is a landmark of 17th century design and, when all was said and done, cost just over a million pounds, which would be about £150 million today.
How You Can See It
If you want to see more of the inside of St Paul’s and really experience the history, you can. It’s the perfect place to sample some culture before retiring for The Montcalm London Afternoon Tea.
Tours of St Paul’s run throughout the week from Monday to Saturday and there are different options depending on how deep into the history you want to go. There’s a 20-minute tour that covers all the basics or a 90-minute tour which covers things like the crypt and areas not widely open to the public.
If you want to delve deeper still, the Triforium Tour takes you inside the famous St Paul’s library and into other, often unseen areas. These tours tend to be on specific days, so check ahead.
