Visit St. Paul's Cathedral! (free entry on this day only)

Come and visit St Paul's Cathedral on Saturday 9th November, the only day of the year when it is free to get in!

This is the day of the Lord Mayor's Show in the City and St. Paul's is taking part in this by not charging an entrance fee.

About St Paul's
St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London. The cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren after the previous St. Paul's was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666.

The current cathedral opened over 300 years ago and is generally reckoned to be London's fifth St. Paul's Cathedral, all having been built on the same site since AD 604. The cathedral is one of London's most famous and most recognisable sights. At 365 feet high, it was the tallest building in London until 1963. It is today, the 89th tallest building in London.

Important services held at St. Paul's include the funerals of Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill; Jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria; peace services marking the end of the First and Second World Wars; the launch of the Festival of Britain and the thanksgiving services for both the Golden Jubilee and 80th Birthday of Elizabeth II.

The Royal Family holds most of its important marriages, christenings and funerals at Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's was used for the marriage of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. St. Paul's Cathedral is still a busy working church, with hourly prayer and daily services.

The Crypt
The cathedral has a very substantial crypt, holding over 200 memorials, some of the most famous ones are: Sir Christopher Wren, Lord Horatio Nelson, Henry Moore, Sir Winston Churchill, T. E. Lawrence, Sir Alexander Fleming, Florence Nightingale, JMW Turner, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington.

Climb the Dome
Once inside the cathedral, you can go up to the Whispering Gallery and walk the 378 steps to the very top Dome and experience the breathtaking views across London from the Golden Gallery. On this day, they do actually charge £5 to climb to the top of the dome, but it's well worth it!

The insides of the cathedral are stunning, in 1715 James Thornhill began work on the inside decorations in the dome which he finished four years later. His murals are based on a series of pen and ink sketches on the life of St. Paul.

The cathedral is spectacular inside and out and is in immaculate condition, after a 10 year clean of the stonework.

Where you arrive
When you arrive, I will give you maps and information on the cathedral and put you in small random groups of 4 or 5 people to explore the Cathedral together.

Entry
Entry is free!

Afterwards
After we will head to the 'Ye Olde London pub' (downstairs at the back) 42 Ludgate Hill for a chat over a drink, come along from 3:30pm.

If you can make it, please come to the pub afterwards, as it’s a great way to meet and get to know others after the visit.

Lookout for the red & blue 'London Cultureseekers' group sign outside the station.

Hope to see you there!

Robert
07905 901 834 (text only)

On the day, if you can’t make the visit, just change your RSVP to No or text me to say you can’t make it.
Please don’t post any messages in the comments that you can’t make it, as this generates spam for everyone else.

Please make sure you are aware of the group rules here before RSVPing - https://www.meetup.com/london_cultureseekers/photos/22974682/523578875/Group_Rules/