Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wellington Monument
It's so tall that even Wellington's horse has to duck to avoid bumping its head. Wren would
have been appalled, but his church has become so central to England's soul that many
national heroes are buried here (in the basement crypt). General Wellington, Napoleon's
conqueror at Waterloo (1815) and the embodiment of British stiff-upper-lippedness, was
honored here in a funeral packed with 13,000 fans. The church is littered with memorials.
While all the monuments are upstairs, all the tombs are downstairs.
• Stroll up the same nave Prince Charles and Lady Diana walked on their 1981 wedding
day. Imagine how they felt making the hike to the altar with the world watching. Grab a
chair underneath the impressive...
Dome
The dome you see from here, painted with scenes from the life of St. Paul, is only the in-
nermost of three. From the painted interior of the first dome, look up through the opening
to see the light-filled lantern of the second dome. Finally, the whole thing is covered on the
outside by the third and final dome, the shell of lead-covered wood that you see from the
street. Wren's ingenious three-in-one design was psychological as well as functional—he
wanted a low, shallow inner dome so worshippers wouldn't feel diminished.
