The Great Fire of London in 1666 destroyed about 80% of London, including 132,000 houses, 88 churches and St Paul’s Cathedral. A new cathedral, designed by Christopher Wren, was built between 1675 and 1711. This Anglican cathedral, situated on the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, is one of Europe’s largest cathedrals.

The Second Great Fire of London, as it was dubbed, came close to destroying Wren’s masterpiece. On the night of 29/30 December, 1940, London suffered one of the most devastating air raids of the London Blitz. More than 24,000 high explosive bombs and 100,000 incendiary bombs were dropped in a few hours, ravaging an area larger than 1666’s Great Fire.

Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, wanted the Cathedral saved regardless of cost. Through the efforts of the firemen who kept away the fire raging in St Paul’s Churchyard and the volunteer firewatchers of the St Paul’s Watch who extinguished the incendiaries on its roof, St Paul’s Cathedral survived that terrible night.

After the war, an American Memorial Chapel was dedicated in the Cathedral to U.S. military members killed in World War II.

St Paul’s Cathedral has held services for many events of national importance, such as the funerals of Admiral Nelson in 1806 and Sir Winston Churchill in 1965. Lady Diana Spencer, a relative of Sir Winston’s, married Prince Charles, heir to the British throne in 1981. The couple broke with the 20th century tradition of Royal marriages in Westminster Abbey to marry in St Paul’s Cathedral instead.  

Many of the Cathedral’s tourists visit the Whispering Gallery, a curious feature inside the dome. The Gallery is a balcony around the dome’s inner perimeter, built 99 feet above the Cathedral’s floor. A whisper on one side of the Gallery can be heard on the Gallery’s opposite side!