12 Amazing Little Details To Spot Inside St Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral is, of course, one of London’s most iconic landmarks. 

Its origins can be traced back to 604AD when the first church dedicated to St Paul was built on the site. It has been through several reconstructions since, with the current iteration built after the Great Fire of London, the masterpiece of Sir Christopher Wren, completed in 1710. 

If you are visiting you will undoubtedly be blown away by the dome and the magnificent nave, however here are also 12 smaller details that I have picked out for you to spot.

1. An Often-Missed Plaque

On the floor by the Great West Door you will find a diamond shaped plaque on the floor. It commemorates the St Paul’s Watch.

The St Paul’s Watch was set up, as the Cathedral’s personal fire brigade, during World War One and was reinstated in the run up to the Blitz.

It was a group of over 300 heroic volunteers chosen from Cathedral staff, local residents, retired architects and more. Risking their own lives, they made it their duty to watch and protect the Cathedral during the war, looking out for and putting out incendiary bombs. 

2. A Deathly Statue That Survived The Great Fire

One of my favourite memorials in the Cathedral is the effigy of John Donne in the Dean’s Aisle. Carved in 1631, it is the only complete effigy to have survived the Great Fire of London. The discolouration at the bottom of the sculpture is said to be scorch marks from the flames. 

Best known as a poet, John Donne was the Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral from 1621-1631. The sculpture by Nicholas Stone, the preeminent sculptor of the English Baroque, is incredible, with the drapery looking almost like you could reach out and touch the soft fabric. The dying John Donne apparently modelled for it himself, wrapping himself in a burial shroud. 

3. Moving Modern Art

You will also find a number of pieces of modern art in the Cathedral. The tradition was started when Henry Moore carved the sculpture ‘Mother and Child: Hood’, specifically for this spot in the Minor Canon’s Aisle.

It was presented to the Cathedral in 1983 and was his final large scale work before his death in 1986. 

I also really like these two sculptures placed in the Cathedral in 2014 to mark 100 years since the beginning of World War One.

They are by an artist called Gerry Judah and recall the white crosses of war cemeteries across Europe. Look closer however and you will see that on the surface are intricate models of cities and settlements, representing places devastated by conflict in both the past and the present.

4. A Secret Space Rocket

Behind the high altar you will find the American Memorial Chapel, built after the war in a part of the Cathedral badly damaged during the Blitz. It commemorates the 28,000 Americans, based in the UK during the war, who lost their lives. 

Eight carved ‘festoons’ depict birds, plants and fruit peculiar to the USA. Hidden in the panel furthest to the right is a great little detail: a 1950s style space rocket: a nod to America’s contributions to space exploration in this period.

5. A Celebrity Painting

Make sure to spot the William Holman Hunt painting ‘The Light of the World’. It is one of the most viewed and travelled 20th century pieces of art in the world.

It was finished in 1904, his third version of it, and it went on a tour around the world. The painting visited Canada, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and was seen by millions (it was claimed that four-fifths of Australia’s population saw it).

It came here in 1908 after it was purchased by social reformer Charles Booth and donated to the Cathedral. 

6. A Dramatic Monument

There are lots of incredible sculptures and memorials to admire in St Paul’s Cathedral. This one of Sir Ralph Abercromby (1734-1801) is definitely worth taking a moment to look at.

Carved in the 1870s by Sir Richard Westmacott, Abercromby was a Lieutenant-General in the British Army during the French Revolutionary Wars and was killed in the Egyptian campaign against Napoleon.

It is unusual in that it depicts him at the moment of him being shot off his horse. It is also flanked by two carved sphinxes.

7. A Missing Arm And Seasick Lion

You will also find the statue of Admiral Nelson by John Flaxman, carved in the 1870s.

He stands on a podium inscribed with the names of his three most famous victories: Copenhagen, Nile and Trafalgar. You will notice the empty sleeve of his right arm, that he lost after being hit by a musket ball in 1797.

In the bottom right hand corner is also a rather seasick looking lion. This is said to possibly be a reference to Nelson actually suffering from seasickness himself.

8. 18th Century Graffiti

I climbed the 528 steps up to the Golden Gallery for the views from the top of the dome, well worth doing for the fantastic views across the City. 

On the way up the stairs and in various other locations look out for the 18th century graffiti.

Lots have left their mark on the Cathedral over the last 300 years. 

9. Tudor Effigies

Down in the crypt are other survivors of the Great Fire such as these fantastic ruff-wearing effigies from the 16th century.

There is also this broken tombstone from 1661.

10. Sir Christopher Wren’s Grave

Down in the crypt you will find various tombstones and memorials to a range of figures from the Duke of Wellington to Florence Nightingale to William Blake. One of the least elaborate gravestones though is that to the Cathedral’s architect himself: Sir Christopher Wren.

Above the tomb stone is a plaque containing the latin epitaph written by Wren’s son: 

This translates as: 

“Here in its foundations lies the architect of this church and city, Christopher Wren, who lived beyond ninety years, not for his own profit but for the public good. Reader, if you seek his monument – look around you.”

Make sure to also spot his death mask and piece of his coffin that accidentally was broken off in 1851.

11. A Hand-Me-Down Sarcophagus

In the centre of the crypt you will find the tomb of Admiral Horatio Nelson.

The black marble sarcophagus that you see was not originally intended for Nelson. It was actually commissioned by Cardinal Wolsey, key advisor to King Henry VIII, for himself by Benedetto da Rovezzano (1474-1552).

After Wolsey was disgraced and fell from favour King Henry VIII asked Benedetto to repurpose the sarcophagus for him instead. It was not finished in the King’s lifetime and, in the end, after being in storage for a couple of hundred years, King George III presented it to hold the remains of Nelson. 

12. A Look At The Medieval St Paul’s

Another detail not to miss in the crypt is the model of the medieval St Paul’s, the one lost to the Great Fire in 1666.

Construction on the medieval St Paul’s began in the late 11th century and was consecrated in 1240. It was about a third taller than the current St Paul’s, with a huge gothic spire. 

Thank you for reading, find out more about visiting St Paul’s Cathedral here.