1723

Towards the end of the project, Wren'ss plans were frequently ignored. In 1711, he complained to Queen Anne that two important tasks, the decoration of the Dome and the construction of the fence around the churchyard, had been taken out of his hands. He demanded the balance of his salary - and got a sharp criticism of his work along with his money.

Later, there was an even greater storm when a stone balustrade was erected around the external walls and Wren ceased to have any great influence over the fitting out of the cathedral. Even so, he returned regularly until his death at the age of 91 in 1723 to sit under the dome and contemplate his masterpiece.

Sir Christopher Wren is burred in the cathedral crypt. His tomb is marked by a simple stone and is surrounded by memorials to his family, to Robert Hooke (Wren's associate and intellectual equal) and to the mason and other colleagues who worked on the building of St Paul's'. The Latin epitaph above his tomb, written by his son famously address us: 'Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.'