St Paul's Cathedral Returned To Former Glory

Over the past fifteen years, visitors to St Paul's have been forced to contemplate Christopher Wren's masterpiece through the prism of scaffolding. One of the most comprehensive restoration projects in British history saw the building cleaned and refurbished at a total cost of £40 million. This week the final pieces of scaffolding were removed and the project completed.

Scrubbing away three centuries' worth of grime, dirt and pollution is no simple task, and the logistics of the restoration were impressive: 150,000 of the distinctive white Portland stone blocks were cleaned on the outside alone, the churchyard gardens remodelled, and the American Memorial Chapel cleaned and restored.

To mark the occasion, the Cathedral is running a photography competition in which snappers are invited to submit their finest shot of the building. Full details can be found on the St Paul's website.

Opened in December 1697 (read here an account of the opening) St Paul's has grown to be one of Britain's most fondly-loved buildings, not least for its role as propaganda tool in the Second World War, when the famous photograph of the dome standing tall against the barrage of the Luftwaffe was used to illustrate the indefatigability of the British spirit (ironically, the same image was used by the Germans to show the might of their firepower). The BBC has an interesting article about how the cathedral survived the onslaught.

St Paul's remains a strong presence on the much-changing skyline of 21st century London, although many are concerned that the cluster of new skyscrapers in the City, particularly the 310m-tall Shard, may ruin the building's splendour. Yet Wren himself, an iconoclast who faced considerable opposition in getting his radical new design approved, would appreciate more than most the importance of building the new alongside the old.

An event will be held on Tuesday 21st June to mark the 300th anniversary of the cathedral's completion.