History Around Us (St Paul's Cathedral)

Question 1

Initial Construction

Answer 1

1. The destruction of Old St Paul’s let to the decision to construct an entirely new cathedral
2. on 14th May 1675, Christopher Wren’s design was given the Royal Approval, providing permission for Wren to “make some variations, rather ornamental, than essential”.
3. The construction of St Paul’s was completed in 1710, therefore the English Baroque style cathedral varied from the architectural styles in 1710.

Question 2

Physical Features - The High Altar

Answer 2

1. The present high altar with modern St Paul’s dates from 1958.
2. A large part of the east end of the cathedral was destroyed within bombing raids within the Second World War, resulting in the marble altar and screen of Thomas garner installed in 1888 being destroyed
3. Since the construction of St Paul’s, a Baroque style Baldacchino has been installed in 1958.
4. This initially couldn’t be installed based of Christopher Wren’s sketches because it would have been deemed popish, depicting the shift temporally to more moderate Protestantism from 1710.

Question 3

Physical Features - The Dome

Answer 3

1. The Dome of St Paul’s is the defining feature the second largest cathedral dome in the world at a height of 111m
2. This made St Paul’s the tallest building within London until 1963
3. This, in combination with Ludgate Hill, is the highest point in London, resulted in the Dome of St Paul’s standing out as an icon on the London skyline
4. The dome has a 3-dome structure, a smaller inner dome, a brick cone supporting the outer dome and the outer dome

Question 4

Physical Features - American Memorial Chapel

Answer 4

1. Opened in 1958 and dedicated to American Servicemen based in Britain who died during World War II is located in the East End of the Chapel, behind the High Altar

Question 5

Physical Features - Crypt

Answer 5

1. An excellent example of the evolving use of the Cathedral during the 19th century, becoming a national and imperial pantheon.
2. The crypt is unusual that it extends across the entire length of the cathedral as opposed to the east. This is due to the crypt having to serve a structural purpose in allowing the structure to be constructed on the soft, clay soils of London. A crypt is not typical in most cathedrals
3. The tombs of Nelson and Wellington as well as Wren stand within the crypt

Question 6

Physical Features - Quire

Answer 6

1. The quire was initially separated from the nave by a wooden screen in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was removed over time to enable services to recommence within the nave. This limited the size of processions and removed large-scale public processions from occurring within the building. Along with the wider “Oxford Movement”, the quire screen was removed in the early 1870s. This enabled far larger numbers to attend services within the cathedral.

Question 7

Physical Features - Ceilings and Paintings

Answer 7

1. Paintings on the ceilings and elsewhere are far more richly decorated than those following the cathedral’s initial construction within 1711. This depicts the shift in religious tastes within Britain
2. Many of the ceilings had ornate mosaics implemented under Queen Victoria in stark contrast to the late 17th century and early 18th century Protestant and anti-popery style.

Question 8

Uses of the Cathedral - Funerals

Answer 8

1. The funerals of many significant historical figures have taken place at St Paul’s, cementing the reputation of the cathedral as a national icon and a figurehead of national pride
2. Funeral services for Winston Churchill (1965) and Margaret Thatcher (2013) held in St Paul’s
3. Figures including Nightingale, Nelson, Wellington and William Blake have been buried in St Paul’s

Question 9

Uses of the Cathedral - Royal Weddings and Occasions

Answer 9

1. The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana was held at St Paul’s on 29th July 1981. This came as an anomaly with no recent royal weddings taking place at St Paul’s, the last being Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon in 1501.
2. In the 1897, Queen Victoria celebrated her diamond Jubilee at St Paul’s
3. Queen Elizabeth celebrated her 80th and 90th birthdays at St Paul’s

Question 10

Uses of the Cathedral - Speeches and Sermons on Diverse Issues

Answer 10

1. On 6th December 1964, Martin Luther King Jr held a sermon at St Paul’s addressing the racial segregation within society, a growing issue within the UK as a consequence of immigration from Commonwealth nations
2. On 12th October 1958, American Singer and political activist Robeson sang at St Paul’s, raising money for the defence within South African treason trials. This depicts the significance of St Paul’s in international political exploits, hence its national and international significance as a site of activism

Question 11

Uses of the Cathedral - Symbol of Peace and Prosperity

Answer 11

1. Symbol for defiance against the Nazi regime in WWII. Ringing of the Cathedral bells on 25th August 1944 to commemorate the liberation of Paris. 10 services held in May 1945 to mark the end of the war.
2. Martin Luther King Jr’s preaching against discrimination due to growing migration to the UK from the Commonwealth in 1964
3. Services held at St Paul’s following terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 and terrorist bombings in London in 2005.

Question 12

Diversity of People and Activities - Charles II

Answer 12

1. Following the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Charles II set about restoring the cathedral which had fallen into disrepair within the Civil War

Question 13

Diversity of People and Activities - Sir Christopher Wren

Answer 13

1. Born in 1632, Wren was a gifted Mathematician astronomer and scientist
2. Wren was responsible for the construction of 52 churches within London following the Great Fire of London in 1666
3. Following his death in 1723, Wren became the first person to be buried within the Cathedral’s crypt

Question 14

Diversity of People and Activities - Admiral Lord Nelson and the Duke of Wellington

Answer 14

1. 2 great military heroes within the Napoleonic wars, dying in 1806 and 1852
2. Both were given state funerals and were buried next to each other within the cathedral crypt

Question 15

Reasons for Changes to the Site and the Way it was Used - 1675-1710

Answer 15

1. Wren’s warrant design is accepted, with work beginning on the cathedral
2. The quire opened rapidly in 2nd December 1697 whilst the building work for the rest of the building continued
3. The reconstruction of the cathedral enabled the implementation of the new Baroque styles across Europe, comparing with ither domed churches within France and Italy.
4. The cathedral was also used to represent the physical rebirth of the city following the fire
5. Construction completed within 1710

Question 16

Reasons for Changes to the Site and the Way it was Used - Late 19th Century Onwards

Answer 16

1. By the end of the 19th century, St Paul’s had begun to regularly hold events of national significance
2. Many services of remembrance have also been held at the cathedral, noticeably the Napoleonic wars, Crimean Wars, WWI, WWII and in 2001 and 2005 to commemorate the victims of terrorist attacks in the USA and London
3. From 1939-1945, St Paul’s became a metaphor of English resistance against the Nazi Regime. The cathedral survived the war despite significant damage to the east side of the cathedral within bombing raids

Question 17

Turning Points within St Paul’s Cathedral - Great Fire of London

Answer 17

1. Significant change
2. Physical change to contemporary architectural style, smaller in size
3. Shift in meaning, becoming a national symbol for the resurrection of London from the Fire and later a symbol of Britain’s international identity

Question 18

Significance of St Paul’s - Nationally

Answer 18

1. St Paul’s is a national icon, and a significant landmark nationally both in the life of the Anglican Communion and its wider cultural and historic roles
2. Crucially the changes within its physical features during the period is a metaphorical representation for events of local and national significance such as the Reformation, the Great Fire of London and the Second World War
3. 1806, state funeral for Horatio Nelson
4. 1852, Duke of Wellington’s funeral
5. 1897, Queen Victoria’s diamond Jubilee

Question 19

What the Site Reveals About Attitudes - Shift in Physical Features

Answer 19

1. Within the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the decoration within St Paul’s was deliberately left largely empty and isolated. This came as many features of Wren’s plans were rejected as popery within the period.
2. however, the shift in Anglican attitudes towards popery within the period resulted in the gradual growth within the ornate decoration of the cathedral’s interior
3. This included the intricate mosaic work completed in 1904 by William Blake Richmond
4. Sir James Thornhill commissioned to decorate the dome of St Paul’s cathedral
5. Furthermore, the construction of an ornate baldacchino over the Victorian altar following damage to the east side of the cathedral within WWII bombing raids. the baldacchino was founded on the design of Wren which was rejected as part of his Warrant Design over 250 years earlier

Question 20

What the Site Reveals About Attitudes - Shift in Crypt

Answer 20

1. The shift in those commemorated and how they are commemorated within the crypt has shifted rapidly within the 19th-21st centuries
2. This comes with the decline within the commemoration of wartime heroes within the crypt, from Nelson and Duke of Wellington in 1805 and 1852, and a lack of commemoration following this period other than for major conflicts.
3. These therefore depict the shift in attitude towards the British Empire and military, and growing emphasis on art, literature and medical science, with scientists such as Florence Nightingale and Alexander Fleming commemorated, as well as the poet William Blake.

Question 21

Uses of the Cathedral (Old St Paul’s) - Diversity of Activities

Answer 21

1. St Paul’s was London’s intellectual hub
2. Paul’s Walk in the nave of the church was used for a variety of activities such as commerce, trade, art and for gossip and became a thoroughfare
3. Paul’s cross was an area of free speech and preaching of sermons. Speeches from the Cross had a traditional of radical preaching and free speech, frequently attracting large crowds

Question 22

Uses of the Cathedral (Old St Paul’s) - Religious Purposes

Answer 22

1. St Paul’s was a site of medieval pilgrimage. The shrine of St Erkenwald had attracted many pilgrims before reformations. This however changed after the reformation