London Buildings City (The Square Mile) St. Paul'sSt. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is the Anglican cathedral on Ludgate Hill, in the City of London, and the seat of the Bishop of London. 
The present building dates from the 17th century and is generally agreed to be London's fifth St Paul's Cathedral, although the number is higher if every major medieval reconstruction is counted as a new cathedral. The cathedral sits on the highest point of the City of London, which originated as a Roman trading post situated on the River Thames. The cathedral is one of London's most popular and visited sights.
The cathedral is built of Portland stone in a late Renaissance style. Its impressive dome was inspired by St Peter's Basilica in Rome, and rises 365 feet to the cross at its summit, making it a persistent London landmark in paintings and engravings from the last 300 years. 
Wren was able to create such a large dome, by actuallly building three domes: the tall outer dome is non-structural but impressive to view, the lower inner dome provides an artistically balanced interior, and between the two is a structural cone that supports the apex structure and the outer dome. An enormous chain circles this middle dome and prevents the dome from warping under the pressure and weight.
Wren was said to have been hauled up to the rafters in a basket during the building of its later stages to inspect progress.
St. Paul's Churchyard, Ludgate Hill, London, EC4M 8AD
