Oculus: an eye into St Paul's

Oculus has been generously funded by American Express Company in partnership with the World Monuments Fund, J. P . Morgan, the Garfield Weston Trust for St Paul’s Cathedral, the City of London Endowment Trust and AIG.

Find out more about Oculus in a behind-the-scenes video with Martin Stancliffe, Surveyor to the Fabric. 

Life of the cathedral 

This film takes viewers on a journey through a day in the life of St Paul’s Cathedral. Christian worship has taken place on this site for 1400 years, and St Paul’s remains a vibrant working church.

This film reveals how the pattern of prayer and worship lies at the heart of life at the cathedral. Like a musical score, this film has a rhythmic pacing, with crescendos and moments of quietness and reflection.

Resurgam: I Will Rise Again

This film recounts 1400 years of history in four minutes. It tells a story of triumph and tragedy and celebrates the role of St Paul’s as a beacon of strength, hope and survival.

Viewers experience the ravages of the Great Fire of London, as well as the devastation of the Blitz as they stand among the blazing rooftops surrounded by the roar of engines and collapsing masonry. The film closes in a blaze of light; where the bright whiteness of the stone of the newly cleaned St Paul’s is revealed.

Virtual Access: The Dome

This film takes the viewer on a journey through the magnificent domes and galleries of St Paul’s - from the ground floor to the Golden Gallery, 85 feet up. The viewer climbs the 257 steps from the cathedral floor before stepping through the narrow doorway to experience the acoustic quirks of the Whispering Gallery.

Stepping into a dark passageway the viewer continues the corkscrew climb up the narrow stairwell before stepping out onto the Stone Gallery. The climb then continues up a network of spiraling iron staircases until the viewer is rewarded with 360˚ panoramic views across London from the Golden Gallery.

Virtual Access: The Great Model

The film flies the viewer through Wren’s Great Model. The room-sized model, built by Wren for King Charles II, is one of the finest architectural models ever made. This film takes the viewer to the interior of the model and reveals its beauty in close-up detail.