St Paul’s Cathedral
Old St. Paul’s was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The 200 foot height of its steeple had been used by Robert Hooke as a site for scientific experiments in 1664. Christopher Wren, appointed to design its replacement, chose Portland stone for the new cathedral. Portland stone had 20 years earlier been specified by Inigo Jones for the Banqueting House in Whitehall. Quarrying for the cathedral began on Portland in 1675 and the first stone was laid in 1677. In 1710, the 400th anniversary of the completion of old St.Paul’s, the rebuilding was complete.
Robert Hooke was an essential member of Wren’s architectural practice and Surveyor of the City of London in his own right. It is now understood that Hooke was responsible for designing the structure of the dome. This year, the 300th anniversary of the ‘topping out’ of the dome, a memorial plaque to Robert Hooke will be mounted in the crypt of the cathedral.
Click here to link to St. Paul’s news article about Miranda Richardson ringing the MEMO bell outside the Cathedral on 22nd May, International Day of Biodiversity 2009.
Further reading: Wikipedia
