St.Paul´Cathedral
St Paul´s Cathedral stands at the head of Ludgate Hill in the City of
London, where, according to tradition, a Roman temple once stood, in the early
7th century. (Was first founded about the Year 610, by Ethelbert King of Kent).
It has been damaged or destroyed on a number of occasions but has been
doggedly rebuilt. St Paul's Cathedral is the fifth church to stand on this site.
The Cathedral is the largest in England and one of the finest church designs of
the English baroque. It is designed by Sir Christopher Wren. He started his first
plan in1668. Only his third plan was accepted in 1675. Work on this classical
cathedral began, and the final stone was laid in 1708, following the destruction
of the previous Gothic church of St Paul which stood on the site was destroyed
in the Great Fire of London of 1666. The first service was held in it in 1697. St
Paul's cathedral was completed, except for a few decorations, in 1710. The site
was originally host to a Roman temple to Diana, the Heathen Goddess, which
was replaced by a church to St Paul in the 7th century, which burned down in
1087 and was replaced by a Gothic church in 1240.
The present building survived World War 2 bombings and it took 35 years to
complete the building, reconstruction according to Wren’s original plan. The
cathedral is still very much in use today. It is 157 meters long and 76 meters
wide. The cathedral´s dome (kuppel) is the second largest in the world at a
height of 110m. The ball on top of the dome is big enough to hold 10 people.
Decorating the interior of the dome is the Whispering Gallery, so named for
its incredible acoustics. The Whispering Gallery lies inside the enormous dome.
It is said that if you whisper close to the wall it can be heard – words whispered
on one side of the wall are distinctly audible over 60 metres away at the other
side of the dome. It is possible to climb to the very top, inside the dome, to see
magnificent panoramic views of the city.
Contained beneath the main cathedral floor is the Crypt, which is on of the
largest in Europe, housing more than 200 tombs, including those of Admiral
Nelson and the Duke of Wellington, and the tomb of Sir Christopher Wren
himself.
The cathedral has been the site for many famous funerals, including those of
Horatio Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill
W
The funeral of Winston Churchill
. The British
Royal Family hold most of their important marriages, funerals
edding of Diana and Charles
and other religious and celebratory functions at Westminster Abbey, but St
Paul's was used for the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. It
was the greatest fairy tale wedding of the century.
Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spence
Madame Tussauds´
Started by Madame Tussaud´ in 1835, this famous waxworks is one of
London's most popular tourist attractions. The museum shares the same building
as the London Planetarium.
The wax figures are placed in new themed areas, including „The Garden
Party', „Two Hundred Years of Madame Tussaud's“, „Hollywood Legends and
superstars', „The Chamber of Horrors“, „Sporting greats“ . Famous figures in
wax include Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, the Beatles and many more. You
can stand next to the figures for a great photo opportunity and impress your
friends back home.
With over 400 of the world´s top celebrities featuring the biggest stars of stage,
history, sport and politics, a place in Madame Tussaud´s is ultimate accolade
(“pidulik toiming rüütliks löömisel”)of fame!
Picture tour of Madame Tussauds
The London Eye
The British Airways London Eye, or just the London Eye, or Millennium
Wheel is the world´s highest observation wheel. It is located on the South Bank
of River Thames .
The London Eye was built to mark the new millennium and became
operational in January 2000.
Height is 135 meters and weight is 1600 tonnes. It is higher than the Statue
of Liberty in New York harbour, the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. and
the Big Ben clock tower. Each trip takes you 450' above the river Thames for 30
minutes. The visitors are in capsules (each weighing 9 tonnes), which can
accommodate up to 25 people in each of the 32 enclosed capsules.
From the Eye you have a great view over London, it is almost twice as
high as the St. Paul's Cathedral. It is closed in January each year for annual
maintenance.
Rising above Big Ben, Parliament and Westminster Abbey
London Map - Areas for hotels and Attractions