St. Paul's Cathedral is a "must see" attraction in London. The present structure was build after the Great Fire of London in 1666.
In the City of London you will find St. Paul's Cathedral. The present structure was build after the 1666 Great Fire of London, and is the fifth cathedral to be built on the site. It rises 365 feet (108 meters) to the cross at its summit making it a famous London landmark. The base of the inner dome is 173 feet (53.4 meters) above the floor. The top of the inner dome is about 65 meters above the floor. The cathedral is some 574 feet (174 meters) in length. The width of the nave is 121 feet (37 meters) and across the transepts is 246 feet (75 meters).
The Whispering Gallery runs around the interior of the Dome and is 99 feet (30.2 meters) above the cathedral floor. It is reached by 259 steps from ground level. It gets its name because a whisper against its wall at any point is audible to a listener with an ear held to the wall at any other point around the gallery. This works only for whispered speech - normal voiced speech is not focused in this way.
The cathedral is open to the public, with a charge for non-worshiping visitors. It is possible to climb the 530 steps to the Golden Gallery, where there is a fine view of London. The bell, called Great Paul, is the largest bell in England. After a major restoration program, that started in 2001, St. Paul's Cathedral was again fully revealed in June 2008, to celebrate the 300th anniversary of its opening.
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