Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Though domed St. Paul's is Wren's most famous church, the smaller churches
around it better illustrate his distinctive style: a steeple over the west entrance;
an uncluttered, well-lit interior; Neoclassical (Greek-style) columns; a curved or
domed plaster ceiling; geometrical shapes (e.g., round rosettes inside square
frames); and fine carved woodwork, often by his favorite whittler, Grinling Gib-
bons.
Even today, we see the view that Wren intended—a majestic dome hovering above the
hazy rooftops, surrounded by the thin spires of his lesser churches. In the foreground be-
low St. Paul's is the slender, lead-covered steeple of St. Martin-within-Ludgate, perfectly
offsetting the more massive dome. Wren's 23 surviving churches are more than plenty for
today's secular ghost town of a city.
• A block east of Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, and a half-block down St. Bride's Avenue, is
the stacked-tier steeple of...
