St Paul’s Cathedral in the City of London

Inside St Paul's Cathedral: The Whispering Gallery, the Mosaics and What Else to Look For

Thornhill’s eight grisaille scenes on the dome, Richmond’s glass mosaics over the Quire, Gibbons and Tijou at close range, a 7,256-pipe organ and two Bill Viola video works, all under one roof.

Visit

From £27, covering the Cathedral floor, Dome galleries and Crypt. St Paul’s Cathedral Tickets.

Location

St Paul’s Churchyard, London EC4M 8AD, at the top of Ludgate Hill.

Visit duration

Allow 1.5 to 2 hours to take the interior in properly. Plan your visit.

Dome paintings

Eight scenes from the life of St Paul, painted in grey monochrome by James Thornhill between 1716 and 1719.

What the Interior of St Paul's Cathedral Actually Holds

Most people look up first, and the dome rewards it: eight painted scenes high above the floor, ringed by a gallery where a whisper travels 112 feet across open air. The rest of the interior repays slowing down for, from Victorian glass mosaics over the Quire to limewood carved so finely it looks soft, and two video installations that sit oddly and deliberately among it all. All of it inside a building with the story of Wren's St Paul's Cathedral.

Five Things Worth Knowing Before You Get In

James Thornhill painted eight scenes from the life of St Paul into the dome between 1716 and 1719, all of them in grey monochrome rather than colour.

The Whispering Gallery runs 99 feet above the cathedral floor and 112 feet across, reached by 257 steps.

William Blake Richmond’s glass mosaics over the Quire were finished in 1904 after more than a decade of work.

The Grand Organ has 7,256 pipes across five manuals, which makes it the fifth largest in Great Britain.

Bombing destroyed the Victorian high altar in 1940; the altar and canopy standing there now date from the 1950s, with the American Memorial Chapel behind them.

Who Painted the Dome, and Why He Had to Be English

The committee that chose a painter for the dome met on 28 June 1715, and the decision was as much political as artistic. Archbishop Thomas Tenison set two conditions that ruled out most of the field: the painter had to be a Protestant and an Englishman. That pointed straight at James Thornhill, against continental rivals who had the reputation but the wrong passport and the wrong church.

He worked on it from 1716 to 1719, and made a choice that still surprises people who expect Baroque colour. The eight scenes are painted entirely in grey monochrome, a technique called grisaille, so they read as carved relief rather than as pictures. Painted architecture around them extends the real architecture of the drum below, repeating its pattern of eight niches. Engravings of the finished scheme were published in 1720.

Why a Whisper Goes All the Way Round

The gallery around the base of the inner dome sits 99 feet above the cathedral floor and measures 112 feet across, and it does something no one designed it to do. Speak quietly against the wall on one side and a listener with an ear to the wall anywhere else around the circle can hear you, even though shouting across the open middle would not carry nearly as well.

The sound never crosses the gap. It hugs the curved wall, reflecting off it at a shallow angle over and over until it has travelled the whole way round, losing very little on the journey. It takes 257 steps to get up there, and the stairs continue past it to the Stone and Golden Galleries outside, so the acoustic trick is the first of three stops rather than the end of the climb.

Four Things Inside St Paul's Cathedral People Walk Straight Past

Richmond’s mosaics over the Quire

The vaults above the Quire are covered in glass mosaic by William Blake Richmond, completed in 1904 after more than a decade of work. They were a deliberate correction: the Victorians thought Wren’s interior too plain and too cold, and set out to warm it with colour and gold.

Gibbons in wood, Tijou in iron

Grinling Gibbons carved the Quire stalls, the bishop’s throne and the pulpit in limewood, worked so finely that the foliage looks like it would move. Jean Tijou, a French smith, supplied the wrought-iron grilles, gates and balustrades, several of which were later combined into the gates near the sanctuary.

An organ of 7,256 pipes

The instrument began with Bernard Smith in the 1690s and grew across three centuries into what stands now: 7,256 pipes across five manuals, the fifth largest organ in Great Britain. Its case was designed in Wren’s own workshop and decorated by Gibbons, so the housing is as much a part of the interior as the sound is.

Bill Viola’s Martyrs and Mary

Two video installations sit at the ends of the Quire aisles. Martyrs, unveiled in May 2014 with Kira Perov, runs seven silent minutes across four screens as earth, air, fire and water close in on four figures who never resist. Mary followed in October 2016 on the north side. Both are on long-term loan from Tate.

St Paul’s Cathedral: Entry Ticket

Highlights

Explore the magnificent interior designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Climb up to the Whispering Gallery and experience its acoustic marvel.

Visit the underground Crypt housing notable historical figures.

Ascend to the Golden Gallery for panoramic city views 111 meters above.

Discover rich history spanning over 1,400 years, including artifacts from World War One veterans.

Crown Jewels of London Tour with River Cruise

Highlights

Explore the stunning architecture of St. Paul’s Cathedral and its significant historical crypt.

Discover the rich history of the Tower of London, including the Crown Jewels and its ancient royal menagerie.

Enjoy a relaxing boat ride along the Thames, offering views of London’s famous riverside sights.

Benefit from a knowledgeable live guide throughout the tour.

Use a headset to hear commentary clearly in multiple languages.

Come When the Light Is on the Quire Mosaics

The interior changes with the light, and the Quire mosaics need some of it to show their gold. A mid-morning slot on a bright day is your best chance, and it also puts you at the Whispering Gallery before the stairs get busy. Bring someone to whisper to; the trick only works in pairs.

Questions About the Inside of St Paul’s Cathedral

What is there to see inside St Paul’s Cathedral?

The painted dome, the Whispering Gallery beneath it, the mosaic-covered Quire vaults, Grinling Gibbons’ carved stalls, Jean Tijou’s ironwork, the Grand Organ, the American Memorial Chapel behind the high altar, and the Crypt. Two Bill Viola video installations sit at the ends of the Quire aisles.

Who painted the dome of St Paul’s Cathedral?

James Thornhill, between 1716 and 1719. He was chosen by a committee on 28 June 1715, partly because Archbishop Thomas Tenison insisted the painter be a Protestant and an Englishman.

Why are the dome paintings not in colour?

Thornhill worked in grisaille, a grey monochrome technique that makes painted scenes read as carved stone relief. The eight episodes from the life of St Paul sit inside painted architecture that continues the real structure of the drum below.

How does the Whispering Gallery work?

Sound spoken against the curved wall does not cross the open middle. It reflects off the wall at a shallow angle again and again, clinging to the curve all the way round, so a whisper stays audible across 112 feet while a shout across the gap would not.

How many steps are there to the Whispering Gallery?

257, and there is no lift. The gallery sits 99 feet above the cathedral floor, and the same staircase continues up to the Stone Gallery at 376 steps and the Golden Gallery at 528.

Are there mosaics inside St Paul’s Cathedral?

Yes, covering the vaults above the Quire. William Blake Richmond designed them in glass mosaic and the work was completed in 1904, added because the Victorians found Wren’s original interior too bare.

What is the American Memorial Chapel?

A chapel in the apse behind the high altar, dedicated in 1958. Its Roll of Honour lists more than 28,000 Americans who died while stationed in or travelling to the United Kingdom during the Second World War, and three windows from 1960 sit above it.