Inside St Paul's

I have a free hour and pay a visit to the Wren Cathedral (my photo from underneath the grand basilica facing the paupet). The present St Paul's dates from the 17th century and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral.

The task of designing a the current structure was assigned to Christopher Wren in 1668, along with over 50 other City churches. His first design, to build a replacement on the foundations of the old cathedral, was rejected in 1669. The second design, in the shape of a Greek cross (circa 1672) was rejected as too radical, as was a revised design that resulted in the 1:24 scale "Great Model". The 'warrant' design was accepted in 1675 and building work began in June.

The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1677. The cathedral was completed on in 1708 or thirty-two years and three months after a spark from Farryner's bakery caused London to burst into flames.