St Paul's Cathedral

2 to 2 1/2 hours
(the latter if including a climb up to the top of the Dome!)

So much space, stunning architecture, so many characters and stories to tell. A very special and significant place, right in the heart of the City of London, the oldest part of London, where - should you want too - you can certainly get your steps in!

From Cathedral floor to the very top of the Dome (known as the Golden Gallery) 528 steps need to be climbed in order to reach the very top. Note there is no elevator to the top. You climb it or you look at it from the bottom!

London’s church. It is incredible that St Paul's is still standing.

Mind-boggling engineering and architecture, three domes for the price of one... Christopher Wren's greatest achievement, the best example of the English Baroque architectural style.

St Paul's took Wren a decade to design and 40 years to build. He lived to see its completion in 1711 AD but died 12 years later and is buried in the Cathedral's crypt, the largest crypt (underground burial space) in Europe. Let me show you his memorial with a twist! All shall be revealed on tour…

St Paul's has existed for over 1,400 years. Wren's version is over 300 years old, built as a result of the Great Fire of London in 1666 AD. It has survived not only wear and tear but two world wars. It stands today in large part thanks to the efforts of the St Paul's Watch of WWI and WWII. Men and women (including many architects), who volunteered to literally fire watch, to put themselves in harm’s way, standing on the rooftops of St Paul's with nothing but buckets of sand to put out the flames of the falling incendiary bombs that landed on the building. Had they been left to fully ignite, St Paul's would be but a ruin today.

Many of Britain's greatest military leaders, politicians and painters are buried or memorialised inside the Cathedral.

Join me for a tour and I will tell you all about the Duke of Wellington, who led the British to victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, which resulted in peace throughout Europe for the next 100 years. He has the biggest memorial to see and get this... it took longer to build than it took to construct the entire Cathedral!

We'll see Admiral Nelson's tomb and memorial. Nelson, England’s most famous admiral entered the Navy aged just 12 years old and captained his own ship by the age of 21 years old.

Spoiler alert - moments after securing victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 AD he died of a French sniper wound but Nelson didn't want to be buried at sea... How was his body kept intact during the journey from the south coast of Spain all the way back to St Paul's for burial you might wonder? Join the tour and I’ll spill the beans!

Please note admission tickets are required in order to visit the St Paul’s as sightseers.