After the rejection of the Great Model in the latter part of 1674, Wren prepared several designs for a new Cathedral on a cruciform plan.
Search
The dramatic increase in funding from 1686 was the main factor behind a major revision to the design that can be dated from mid-1685.
The design, construction and decoration of the choir enclosure and sanctuary occupied Wren and his assistants at least four and a half years.
Wren’s revisions to the design in 1685–86 created a podium for a vast, richly modelled Dome, inspired by those of Michelangelo’s St Peter’s in Rome and Jules Hardouin-Mansart’s Invalides church in Paris.
Wren had always intended a belfry in one of the towers at the west end of the Cathedral.
The earliest known scheme to improve the Cathedral churchyard is an outline study by Wren and Hawksmoor, drawn over a survey of the whole precinct prepared by William Dickinson.
News article
27 July 2021 The Dean of St Paul’s, the Very Revd Dr David Ison, has announced his intention to retire in September 2022. Dr David Ison will be 68, and will have served at the Cathedral for ten years. The Dean leads the Cathedral assisted by the Residentiary and Lay Canons, enabling Chapter to implement the agreed vision for St Paul's. Recruitment for the next Dean of St Paul’s will begin later this year.
Discover our educational events for children and adults – and search our extensive library of learning resources.