The cathedral is one of the most famous and most recognisable sights of London, with its dome, framed by the spires of Wren's City churches, dominating the skyline for 300 years. At 365 feet (111 m) high, it was the tallest building in London from 1710 to 1962, and its dome is also among the highest in the world. In terms of area, St Paul's is the second largest church building in the United Kingdom after Liverpool Cathedral.

St. Paul's Cathedral

Temple Bar is the point in London where Fleet Street, City of London, becomes the Strand, Westminster, and where the City of London traditionally erected a barrier to regulate trade into the city. Today, the Royal Courts of Justice are located next to it. As the most important entrance to London from Westminster, it has long been the custom that the monarch stop at Temple Bar before entering the City of London, so that the Lord Mayor may offer him or her the City's pearl-encrusted Sword of State as a token of loyalty. The term Temple Bar is also retained for the gateway designed by Christopher Wren which used to occupy the spot from the 17th to the late 19th century. Wren's arch has been preserved and is now located in Paternoster Square next to St Paul's Cathedral.

Temple Bar Gate

Sir Christopher Michael Wren (1632 – 1723) is one of the most highly acclaimed English architects in history. He was accorded responsibility for rebuilding 52 churches in the City of London after the Great Fire in 1666, including his masterpiece, St. Paul's Cathedral, on Ludgate Hill, completed in 1710.

Christopher Wren

In the churchyard is a statue of Captain John Smith of Jamestown, founder of Virginia (U.S. state) and former parishioner of the church.

St. Mary-le-Bow

St Mary Aldermary was badly damaged in the Great Fire of London of 1666, although parts of its walls and tower survived. It was mostly rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in a Gothic style. A legacy of £5,000 had been left by one Henry Rogers for the rebuilding of a church, and his widow agreed to use it to fund the reconstruction of St Mary's. According to some sources, she stipulated that the new church should be an exact imitation of the one largely destroyed.

The Guild Church of St. Mary Aldermary

The present domed building was erected to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren following the destruction of its medieval predecessor in the Great Fire of London in 1666.

St. Stephen Walbrook

The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. It has twice been destroyed by fire and rebuilt. The present building was designed by William Tite in the 1840s and is currently up for sale. The site was notably occupied by the Lloyd's insurance market for nearly 150 years. Today the Royal Exchange contains offices, luxury shops and a restaurant.

The Royal Exchange

The present building is at least the third church on the site. The Norman church survived until 1445, when it was rebuilt, with a spire added in 1485. It was badly damaged in 1666 in the Great Fire of London but was repaired by Sir Christopher Wren. Two new bells (the treble and the tenor) were cast in 1670, and in 1672 the middle bell was cast. The patched-up structure proved unsafe, however, and had to be demolished in 1711.

St. Mary Woolnoth Church

In 1292, the church is first recorded as 'Saint Edmund towards Garcherche', and it reappears in 1348 as 'Saint Edmund in Lombardestrete'. John Stow, in his Survey of London 1598, revised during 1603, refers to it also as St Edmund Grass Church. 
The medieval church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666. After the fire the parish was united with that of St Nicholas Acons, which was also destroyed and not rebuilt. The present church was constructed to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren in 1670-1679, with a tower ornamented at the angles by flaming urns in allusion to the Great Fire. George Godwin described the tower as "more Chinese than Italian", while James Peller Malcolm called it "rather handsome, but of that species of architecture which is difficult to describe so as to be understood". 
 
The orientation of the church is unusual, with the altar towards the north, instead of east.

St. Edmund The King and Martyr

The medieval church, except for the tower, was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, and the present building was begun in 1672. The design is traditionally attributed to Sir Christopher Wren.

St. Michael's Cornhill

The first church on the site, which today is bordered by St. Mary Axe and Leadenhall Street, was built in medieval times, being recorded in 1147. It was rebuilt in the 14th century and again in 1532; this third incarnation of the building survives today.

St. Andrew Undershaft

It is the largest surviving church in the City of London and it contains more monuments than any other church in Greater London except Westminster Abbey, hence it is sometimes referred to as the Westminster Abbey of the City.

St. Helen's Bishopsgate

St Helen's Place is a prestigious private roadway, accessed from Bishopsgate through a manned and gated portico. Situated between 30 St Mary Axe and Tower 42, the Estate provides offices uniquely situated in the heart of the City.

St. Helen's Place

This structure is a rare survival of the medieval City churches that were mostly destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666.

St. Ethelburga's

On 2 September 1666, the Great Fire of London broke out and devastated around four-fifths of the buildings within the medieval City of London. Sir Christopher Wren was instrumental in replacing over 50 of the lost churches as well as providing us with the world-famous St. Paul’s Cathedral. 
 
On this walk through the ancient streets of London, you&nbsp;will discover not only the majesty and history of St. Paul’s but also visit Wren's&nbsp;other&nbsp;elegant and understated masterpieces. Along the way, you will&nbsp;learn about his extraordinary career and see some of the churches which inspired the English Nursery Rhyme “Oranges and Lemons”! The tour will finish with three pre-fire churches at the edges of the city that were lucky to escape the inferno and now co-exist with some of the most stunning modern architecture to have been unveiled in recent years.

London

London Churches

Overview:

Listen to sample

To get the full experience, please download GlobeTrott Travel app

LIST OF SITES