Support St Paul's
| Today | Saturday 4 Feb 2012 |
|---|---|
| 07:30 | Mattins |
| 08:00 | Eucharist |
| 08:30 | Doors open for sightseeing |
| 12:30 | Eucharist |
| 16:00 | Last entry for sightseeing |
| 17:00 | Choral Evensong |
| Next 7 days | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 |
| Next week | Next month | Next year |
Become a Friend of St Paul's
If you would like to help St Paul's to inspire future generations, please consider becoming a Friend.
St Paul's receives little regular or significant funding from the state, but the cost of maintaining it is very great. Your contributions as a Friend - now, or through a gift in your Will - will assist the Friends to support specific cathedral projects for which the Dean and Chapter seek funds. Over past years, the Friends have helped fund the dome altar, choristerships, a grand piano and new vestments for the cathedral.
If you are interested in joining the Friends of St Paul's Cathedral, please download an application form.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
The Friends Today
As a Friend of St Paul’s you will enjoy free admission to the cathedral, reserved seats at a number of specified annual cathedral events and a copy of the Dome magazine twice a year to keep you updated with cathedral news. Friends also qualify for a 10% discount on purchases in the cathedral shop.
Today, there are over 3,000 Friends who provide both financial and practical support to St Paul’s. The majority of our Friends are UK-based, but others come from 25 different countries. Around 130 of our Friends are Working Friends; volunteers who give their time to welcome visitors, sell guidebooks and answer visitors' questions. A few of these become guides, taking a six-month training course and passing an examination before they start guiding. There are normally between 8 and 15 Working Friends on duty between 10am and 4pm every day of the week.
History of the Friends of St Paul’s
Fire had destroyed the Old St Paul's and several of its predecessors. When raids on London began during World War I, a group of men and women who loved Wren's cathedral were determined that history should not repeat itself. They therefore formed the St Paul's Fire Watch and patrolled the building to ensure that every stray spark from the conflict was extinguished before it could do any harm. They re-formed during World War II, inviting their friends and families to join them. After a public appeal there were 300 volunteers, 40 of whom guarded the cathedral each night.
Mary Prendergast, who joined the Watch in 1939, remembered the problems of patrolling 'such an enormous building, with many complex avenues on the roof; corners and crannies - there could be an incendiary bomb anywhere in a small crevice, or under some masonry. If this was not promptly removed, it could . . . [cause] a fire well into the building'.
The Watch was disbanded at the end of the war but its members, who had proved their commitment in a time of acute danger, still wanted to do something to help save the cathedral. In 1952 they formed the Friends of St Paul's, with Her Majesty The Queen Mother as Patron for 50 years until her death. Since then, we are delighted that Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester GCVO has been Patron of the Friends of St Paul’s.
Contact Us
T. 020 7246 8308
The Chapter House
St Paul's Churchyard
London
EC4M 8AD
Patron
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester
Vice Chairman
Hon Treasurer
Nicholas Cottam, OBE (Registrar)
Council Members
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester, Patron of the Friends of St Paul's Enlarge
HRH visited the Cathedral School on 5 October 2011. With the Dean and the Headmaster she later watched the choirboys being rehearsed before Evensong. Enlarge
HRH The Duchess of Gloucester watches the choristers rehearse for Evensong on her visit to the Cathedral School in October 2011 Enlarge
