St. Paul's

This is the enormous church in the City of London; sorry… the iconic cathedral, the latest iteration of which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1710 after the earlier version burnt down in the Great Fire of London.  Many London sights are overhyped and billed as “must sees”... but if you only have the time or budget to see one big ticket item in London this is the one.  I could wax lyrical for pages on the incredible beauty and history of this building.  It is, quite simply, breathtaking.  It stands out like a monolith amongst the drab low-rise office buildings that surround it - not purely by design, but by divine intervention given it was targeted by the Germans during the Blitz and they managed to destroy all the surrounding buildings, but it survived.  The dome standing above London’s modern city-scape is so precious that building restrictions are in place all over greater London to prevent skyscrapers blocking it from vantage points at Parliament Hill and the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.  Climb the dome, and visit the crypt where historic heartthrobs Lord Nelson and Lawrence of Arabia are interred.  The Duke of Wellington’s there too.  

Take anyone on their first visit to London, as first impressions count. Unfortunately it seems there’ll always be crowds but don’t fret, you will, like me find peace and inspiration inside. Tickets are around £20.

https://www.stpauls.co.uk/
St. Paul's Cathedral, London EC4M 8AD