Queen marks St Paul's milestone
Source: Agencies |
June 22, 2011, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
ST Paul's Cathedral celebrated its 300th anniversary and the completion of a 15-year restoration project yesterday, with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip among the congregation.
The service marked three centuries since Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece in London opened to the public.
It has been the setting for many great occasions, including the funerals of Admiral Horatio Nelson and Winston Churchill, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
The enduring image of the cathedral is of the great dome looming intact, wreathed in smoke from a German bombing in December 1940.
Restoration workers cleaned the church's structure and repaired damage left over from World War II, at a cost of 40 million pounds (US$65 million). Soot and grime were carefully washed from the exterior, decayed mortar in the stonework was replaced and a crack in the dome repaired - apparently made by the World War II bomb blast.
"This great building is now in a sound state, and probably looks better than at any time since its completion in 1711," said Martin Stancliffe, who oversaw the project and holds the title of Surveyor to the Fabric.
"I used to think that it was rather more like a railway station than a great cathedral. It was very, very dirty; it was very unkempt; and that made it a very kind of gloomy and disappointing building to work with."
The service marked three centuries since Sir Christopher Wren's masterpiece in London opened to the public.
It has been the setting for many great occasions, including the funerals of Admiral Horatio Nelson and Winston Churchill, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana.
The enduring image of the cathedral is of the great dome looming intact, wreathed in smoke from a German bombing in December 1940.
Restoration workers cleaned the church's structure and repaired damage left over from World War II, at a cost of 40 million pounds (US$65 million). Soot and grime were carefully washed from the exterior, decayed mortar in the stonework was replaced and a crack in the dome repaired - apparently made by the World War II bomb blast.
"This great building is now in a sound state, and probably looks better than at any time since its completion in 1711," said Martin Stancliffe, who oversaw the project and holds the title of Surveyor to the Fabric.
"I used to think that it was rather more like a railway station than a great cathedral. It was very, very dirty; it was very unkempt; and that made it a very kind of gloomy and disappointing building to work with."
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