Home
Welcome to SM4!

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.Latest News
Cathedral closed until further notice |
"Good night, Mr Bond" - the life of Paddington Bear's creator celebrated at St Paul's
The life and work of Michael Bond, creator of Paddington Bear, has been celebrated at a memorial service in St Paul's.
Family and friends of the much-loved author, who died earlier in 2017 aged 91, gathered at the Cathedral on Tuesday 14 November , alongside hundreds of other people from the literary world, school children and many fans of his work.
Opening the service, the Reverend Canon Mark Oakley, said: "As we remember with fondness the characters that sprang from Michael's imagination and recall their capacity for doing good, so let us give thanks for a bear called Paddington who fitted our world perfectly because he was different."
Tributes in the service were given by Michael's daughter, Karen Jankel, who spoke of his love for people and their love in return for him, and by his publisher Ann-Janine Murtagh. His grandchildren, India, Harry and Robyn, read extracts from his books, including A Bear Called Paddington, The Tales of Olga da Polga, and It Wasn't Me.
Giving his sermon, the Reverend Canon Michael Hampel, said: "Paddington would preach this sermon better than me because he would tell you his story, and his story is a kind of parable in its own way."
"What happens in Paddington is that the wisdom of the world is turned on its head and a refugee bear who is accident-prone and clearly very different from everyone else around him comes to exemplify a very different kind of wisdom. It's one that says that being different is OK; that being cast adrift in the world requires the human response of rescue; and that accidents happen – because we’re all human."
"Michael Bond knew that people needed looking after and he reached out to millions of children (including those of the adult variety) through the art of story-telling – not least through stories about a bear called Paddington who was different."
READ THE FULL SERMON
At the end of the service, some of the tributes which has poured in after Michael's death were read to the congregation by Hugh Bonneville,
Samuel Joslin and Madeleine Harris, three members of the Brown family in the recent Paddington movies.
One read: "I can’t help but think that A A Milne and Michael Bond can now compare notes about bears!"
Another saying: "Thank you for showing us proper values through a bear called Paddington".
The tributes ended: "Good night Michael Bond. Thank you for writing the books that taught me to read, and to want to read more."
DOWNLOAD THE FULL ORDER OF SERVICE
-
Share this content
- StumbleUpon

Karen Jankel pays tribute to her father
Enlarge this image