So, in this way, the design of the Cathedral as it rose was a sort of scientific experiment in itself. The dome was not finalised until 1697 and the west towers were not finalised until 1704. Wren and his craftsmen were under huge pressure to build, and because work was pushed forward so quickly, he was forced to resolve the details of the building as it rose. Wren’s preferred solution, as you probably all know, was for a centralised plan based on a Greek cross, so a centralised plan, but of course, liturgically, this was ruled out by the Dean and Chapter and, like its predecessor, the new Cathedral rose as a Latin cross, as a Roman cross. There were three almost irreconcilable tensions that had to be resolved in the new design: first were the ambitions of the City, the aldermen, the mayor and the merchants then there were the ambitions of the Crown and finally, and again I would suggest perhaps third, were the ambitions of the Church. In 1666, everyone hoped that the Cathedral, or at least bits of it, might be able to be saved, but it soon became very apparent that the damage had been too much. This royal patching-up was, of course, all swept away by the Great Fire. The portico was in court taste and expressed the aspirations of the Crown rather than the aspirations of the Church. But in the end, frustrated by a lack of progress, Charles I actually nationalised the work to the Cathedral and appointed his own architect, Inigo Jones, to re-clad the Cathedral and build the colossal portico which you see in this print, which was crowned by royal statues and royal slogans. And only fourthly, and I would suggest lastly, was it the cathedral of the capital, and this is why monarchs through time had such concern for its fabric and why, after the spire of Old St Paul’s was destroyed by an Elizabethan bolt of lightning, both Elizabeth I and James I made great efforts to re-build it. It was designed to be the symbol of the commercial virility of the city. It was designed to be the social nexus of the population of the city. It was designed to be the theatre of monarchy.
#Christopher wren series
But of course, this Cathedral is not just any old seat of a bishop because, when it was built, it was designed for a series of very specific purposes. Unlike all the other English cathedrals, it is named after its dedication rather than the city that it is in. St Paul’s Cathedral is in fact a really rather unusual building. Just think in your own mind… I may be wrong – do you think you could do that? But even if you could name five buildings, and clearly, many of you think you can, I am sure that most of you would start with St Paul’s Cathedral. Now, again, I am not going to do this on anyone tonight, I am not suddenly going to point to somebody, but I think most people would have to think quite hard to list five buildings designed by Christopher Wren. I think many people, I even daresay most people, would struggle to name another building that was actually designed by him. Wren has basically grabbed the top slot and I actually do not think that anyone is ever going to budge him off it.īut what is it that Christopher Wren’s reputation actually rests on? Well, I am afraid to say it is essentially upon one building – St Paul’s Cathedral. This man, who lived over 300 years ago, has somehow captured the imagination, not only as the archetypal architect, but as England’s greatest and most successful architect, and I wonder how many of the so-called starchitects who are around today will be mentioned in the streets of London in three centuries’ time. I am not actually going to try this experiment on you all this evening, but I think if most people were stopped in the street and were asked to name a famous architect, they would say Sir Christopher Wren. This evening, I am talking about Sir Christopher Wren. Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen – it is very good to see you all here.
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