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All the United Kingdom England London Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral

Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral

Hear the quietest sound from across the dome.

London, England

Added By
Annetta Black
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Dome   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Dome   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the dome of St. Paul’s   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dome_of_...
St. Paul’s Cathedral   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
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Cordoned off view of gallery   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
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St. Paul’s Cathedral   TinaK / Atlas Obscura User
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About

In the walkway that circles the inside of Christopher Wren’s great dome whispered words can be heard clearly directly across 137 feet. The trick of acoustics is an artifact of the perfection of the dome, which was completed in 1710.

The current cathedral is thought to be the fourth cathedral on that spot, replacing the third incarnation which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Wren, who had already been planning on retrofitting the existing cathedral, took on the monumental task of creating a new central cathedral. Astonishingly, he was also responsible for the rebuilding of an additional 50 parish churches during the same period.

His design was modern and quite different than the earlier cathedral design, incorporating a massive dome designed in homage to St Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

The first stone was laid in 1677, and it opened in 1697, just 32 years after the fire - a lighting quick build, in cathedral terms. The dome was completed after opening, and the building was declared complete in 1710. It is the largest cathedral in England, and considered Wren’s masterpiece.

Wren became the first of many prominent people interred in St. Paul’s after his death in 1723. His epitaph reads "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice", Latin for “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you".

St. Paul’s was struck by, but survived bombing raids in WWII, and remains an active church.

The Whispering Gallery is one of three galleries accessible in the cathedral. It is located at the top of 259 steps, 99 feet above the floor of the cathedral, which is decorated with a compass rose.

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Instruments Of Science Sacred Spaces Churches Sounds Whispering Gallery

Know Before You Go

After a fatal fall from the Whispering Gallery on April 1, 2019, the cathedral has closed access to this level of the building and expects it to remain closed through December 2019. The Stone and Golden Galleries above the Whispering Gallery remain open. A total of 528 steps will be needed to reach them. The height of the cathedral is 365 feet, one foot for every day of the year.

Community Contributors

Added By

Annetta Black

Edited By

Rachel, SEANETTA, honeytea, lsz11495...

  • Rachel
  • SEANETTA
  • honeytea
  • lsz11495
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • TinaK
  • rbenn250
  • Julius Spada
  • Jtrain

Published

July 26, 2010

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  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispering_gallery
  • http://www.stpauls.co.uk/
Whispering Gallery at St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul's Churchyard
London, England, EC4M 8SH
United Kingdom
51.513751, -0.10044
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