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Worship & Music
St Paul’s Cathedral has been here for over 1,400 years. It has been built and rebuilt five times, and always its main purpose has been as a place of worship and prayer.

Visit Us
St Paul's, with its world-famous dome, is an iconic feature of the London skyline. Step inside and you can enjoy the Cathedral's awe-inspiring interior, and uncover fascinating stories about its history.
Learning & Faith
Lifelong learning is a core part of the our work, delivered through a variety of events by St Paul's Institute, and the Cathedral's Adult Learning and Schools & Family Learning departments.

History & Collections
For more than 1,400 years, a Cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood at the highest point in the City. The present Cathedral is the masterpiece of Britain's most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren.

Support Us
Behind the scenes, the cost of caring for St Paul's and continuing to deliver our central ministry and work is enormous and the generosity of our supporters is critical.

Venue Bookings
Widely considered to be one of the world’s most beautiful buildings and a powerful symbol of the splendour of London, St Paul’s Cathedral is a breathtaking events venue.
History
12:00pm | Open for private prayer |
12:30pm | Eucharist |
3:00pm | Evening Prayer |
3:30pm | Private prayer ends and Cathedral closes |
Sir Winston Churchill Funeral - 1965
Fifty years after the nation stood still for the funeral of its great 20th century wartime leader, St Paul's Collections Manager, Simon Carter, reflects on the events of 30 January 1965.
The planning for ‘Operation Hope Not’, the code-named funeral arrangements of Sir Winston Churchill, began in the late 1950s. Such was the scale and significance of the event that meticulous and timely preparations were essential. The Cathedral Archives contain a wealth of information on how the day was devised and executed: detailed instructions for every part of the day’s events, the liturgical programme, maps, traffic directions and even invitations survive.
They were not required for implementation until a grey Saturday morning in January 1965, four days after the death of the seemingly indefatigable,
wartime leader. The plans included provision for an extraordinary procession through London, a ceremony at St Paul’s Cathedral, dispatch from the
Tower of London by river launch, a military fly past, construction cranes lining the Thames and a train from Waterloo Station to Churchill’s burial
place at Bladon in Oxfordshire; arrangements requiring the kind of military precision that would have pleased Churchill himself no-end.
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Download the order of service |
Download the ceremonial |
Download the arrangements |
Only a very few were privy to the secret preparations. The Duke of Norfolk led the organisation of events; the coordination of the religious
ceremony naturally involved consultation with the then Dean of St Paul’s, The Reverend Walter Matthews. He advised on matters such the Order of
Service, the seating plan and the schedule of the ceremonial, the location of the coffin and the arrival and departure of the congregation. The
form of service was agreed by the Cathedral Chapter at a meeting in January 1959.
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The funeral of Sir Winston churchill
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Deployment plan at the arrival of the coffin
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One of the black copes made especially for the funeral
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The back of the Churchill cope
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The Churchill copes were only used again 48 years later at the funeral of Baroness Thatcher
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The coffin hoist
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The black altar frontal used at the funeral
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World leaders gather on the steps of St Paul's after the ceremony
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