The 'astonishing' London and the nation pay tribute to the victims of the 2005 bombings at St Paul's

Ten years after one of the worst terrorist attack in British history, St Paul's has led mourning families, survivors and the nation in remembering the 52 dead and countless injured of the 2005 London bombings.

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At the service on Tuesday, 7 July, also attended by HRH The Duke of York, Prime Minister, Mayor of London and members of London's emergency services, the Bishop of London called London an 'astonishing' city in his sermon.

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The Right Reverend Richard Chratres said: "London is an astonishing world-in-a-city...[but]...this was a terrible crime which robbed us of beloved sons and daughters, partners and friends."

The service is available to watch on BBC iplayer until Tuesday 4 August

The service included four reflections, read by members of the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service, Transport for London and the London Fire Brigade, each focusing on one of the four bombing sites: Russell Square - King's Cross, Aldgate, Edgware Road and Tavistock Square. Candles representing the four sites were placed in front of the altar.

Concluding the reflections, young Londoner Aaron Grant-Booker said: "When four bombs exploded on 7 July 2005, lives were destroyed and the flame of hope faltered for what seemed like an eternal moment. For many people, nothing was the same again and yet everything was the same because the good which is in all Londoners and the countless visitors whom they host at any given moment is not erased by hatred or threat but - rather - is fostered to produce a harvest of hope for each generation."

A minute's silence was punctuated by rose petals falling from the Cathedral's Whispering Gallery, in an echo of what took place at a service back in 2005.

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At the end of the service, representatives of world faiths pledged to continue to resist and overcome the evil of terrorism, and to work side-by-side on the basis of respect and understanding. 

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In November 2014, Martine Wright, who survived the London bombings but lost both legs, came to St Paul's to talk about the things that really matter to her.