St. Paul's

In 2007, WMF and American Express awarded St. Paul’s Cathedral with a grant to improve visitors’ experiences, present the Cathedral’s history in an engaging and informative way, and help protect one of London’s most popular sites.

This project, which will open up rarely seen areas of Sir Christopher Wren’s restored interior to visitors and worshippers, will also relieve crowding and lessen visitor impact on the nave, which suffers from heavy foot traffic, abrasion, and fluctuations in humidity.

The grant will also fund educational programs—including a new Exploration Centre in the crypt—that will examine a range of topics, including architecture, history, science, music, and religion, as related to the life of the Cathedral.

Included among the new educational and interpretive facilities, which will display historic artifacts and other materials, is a lapidarium of recovered medieval stones. This room, together with Wren’s “Great Model” (currently seen only by appointment), will offer visitors a first-hand look at the size and appearance of the even larger earlier cathedral, which burned down in 1666.

St. Paul's is part of WMF's Sustainable Tourism initiative.


View slideshow


Other Sustainable Tourism projects:
• Mexico City Historic Center
• Delhi Heritage City
• Historic Route 66


Press release


This project is part of the Partners in Preservation initiative, which focuses on preserving historic sites for future generations to enjoy.