Climb the dome and don't look down!

Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) rests in a tomb in St Paul's Cathedral and near it is a simple tablet inscribed in Latin with the words: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice - If you seek his monument, look about you.

Wren is the architect who built St Paul's as we see it today. Completed in 1710, replacing an earlier building that was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666, St Paul's stands out as Wren's finest architectural work - an imposing grand building in the heart of the City of London.

For many people in the UK, St Paul's stands as a testament to all that is British: our history, our independence, our pageantry, our willingness to accept others, and our sense of nationhood. As a structure that survived the very worst ravages of the blitz, while many of the buildings around it were destroyed, St Paul's has an affectionate place in the hearts of many of the UK's citizens, who see it more as a national monument than an ecclesiastical building. It may be a beautiful and bold structure, it may be an architectural masterpiece, it may be one of the UK's most important religious sites, but for many, its innate charm lies in its symbolism for survival.

Along with Westminster Abbey (which sits side by side with the Houses of Parliament a couple of kilometres down the River Thames), St Paul's is a building of national focus. Its great dome, rising to a height of 108.7 m, witnessed Nelson's funeral in 1806, Wellington's funeral in 1853, Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Churchill's funeral in 1965, and the wedding of Charles and Diana in 1981.

As a building of religious significance, it is a must on anybody's travel itinerary. Built in the Gothic style with features based on classical Greek forms prevalent at the time in the Italian Renaissance, its main entrance is flanked by two Baroque towers. Inside, the immense proportions of the building dwarf visitors. They wander in and out of the pews, few really stopping to take in all the clues to British life that surround them: A roll of honour detailing the 33,000 members of the Merchant Navy who lost their lives serving in the Second World War. A monument to the Duke of Wellington - 20 years of work and still incomplete. A tribute to Captain Robert Falcon Scott (1868-1912), who died on an ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. A memorial to Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) whose famous last words, as he lay dying on the deck of his ship at the end of the Battle of Trafalgar, were "Kiss me, Hardy". The huge organ once played by both Handel and Mendelssohn. The high alter, made from a four ton slab of Italian marble and topped with a 3 metre high cross. The American Memorial Chapel founded as a British tribute to the 28,000 Americans based in Britain who lost their lives in the Second World War. The Dean's Aisle with fragments from the Holy Land including a carved piece of marble from Herod's Temple. Here, if you stop to look, you can find so much that is the UK.

However, the two greatest parts of St Paul's are high above you and they are two things which every visitor to London should seek out: the dome and the Whispering Gallery.

The vast area under the dome is decorated to look like a compass, pointing to the corners of the earth. From here, when the dome was being built, Wren was hauled up in a basket two or three times a week to see how work was progressing. The arches which support the dome are topped by an area known as the Whispering Gallery, a narrow circular strip running 84 metres around the bottom rim of the dome. It is called the Whispering Gallery because a whisper against the circular wall can be heard on the opposite side, some 42 metres away! The only great difficulty in hearing a whisper today is that the Gallery is usually full of tourists all trying to whisper at the same time, so you invariably end up listening to someone else's proclamation of love! But if you wait for a while until the Gallery is quiet, you really can hear a whisper spoken against the wall on the opposite side of the rim. Incredible. From the Gallery, you also get a unique view of the inside of St Paul's as you tower above the marbled setting below. You also get a great view of the fresco paintings. One last thing about the Gallery, you are always closely watched by nervous curators. Why are they nervous? Because, sadly, over the years, the Whispering Gallery has been a place for would-be suicides, desperate people hoping to make one last dramatic gesture. Do not lean out too far!

Above the Whispering Gallery you start to climb to one of London's best kept tourist secrets - the galleries on the roof of the dome. This is not a trek for the unfit. As you climb the steps, you hear others losing breath and wishing that they had not started the journey at all. At the first gallery, I met a woman in tears of fear - this is not a place for anyone with acrophobia. But if you climb to the very top of the dome, to the part where the stone steps stop and the "ladders" can only reach, then you will be treated to a truly spectacular view of London. This is the one thing that you really must see - and do not forget to bring your camera and, if you have them, a pair of binoculars. On a clear day, the view is stunning. Beneath you so many of the landmarks that make the great city so famous: the Tower of London, the River Thames, the Bank of England (known as the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street), The City (which is the financial centre of the UK and Europe), the Houses of Parliament, the Nat West Tower, Lloyds of London, and the suburbs stretching out over the horizon. There is no finer view in all of London.

When you have feasted your eyes on London and taken lots of pictures to show your family back home, then the last part of the Cathedral that you must visit is the Crypt, a quiet sombre area that many people miss. If the main part of St Paul's is the heart and body of the UK, then the Crypt really is its innermost soul. People wander around the tombs in near silence, whispering names to each other as they read the inscriptions of the great and the good, at rest at last. Take time to amble round the Crypt (which is not in the least unnerving as some might imagine it to be) and you will learn a great deal about the people who forged the UK and about how the people of the UK today understand their own national psyche.

Look for Wren's tomb and decide for yourself how fitting are the words: Si monumentum requiris, circumspice.

Sightseeing details

The Cathedral is open Monday to Saturday from 0830, with last admission at 1600. Allow 2 to 3 hours for your visit. The Cathedral Shop and the Crypt Cafe are open from 0900 to 1700 and from 1030 to 1700 on Sundays. Special services or events may close all or part of the Cathedral sometimes at short notice.

Admission charges

See the St Paul's website for details.

* Information believed to be correct at time of publishing.