The Dome of St Paul's Cathedral 3rd July 2013

Today I climbed to the top of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.  It's in three stages.

The first stage is a gentle walk (257 steps, 30 metres) up a shallow wide wooden curving staircase.  It brings you to the Whispering Gallery which runs around the inside of the bottom of the drum of the dome.  You get great views down to the nave, choir and crossing and up to the paintings around the inside of the dome.  There is strictly no photography.

The second stage is a steeper climb up a narrow curving stone staircase (another 119 steps and 23 metres).  You step out onto the Stone Gallery which runs around the outside of the top of the drum, with great views in all directions.  This view is to the east with the City of London in the centre and the Shard on the right.

Here's the view to the south, now with the Shard on the left and the Millennium Bridge straight ahead leading to Tate Britain.

I had a zoom lens with me as well as the wide angle, so I zoomed in on the Millennium Bridge (left), Gherkin (centre) and Shard (right).

 Looking west over the nave of the cathedral you can see the river Thames on the left and Telecom Tower on the right.

I zoomed in on Westminster and the London Eye.

The climb to the Golden Gallery at the top is not for the faint-hearted.  It's "only" another 148 steps and 32 metres, but it's a near vertical climb up a series of spiral staircases.  The staircases are made of openwork cast iron so you have an unimpeded view upwards and downwards.  When you reach the top you have to squeeze through narrow stone steps with a low ceiling between the inner and outer stone skins of the dome before you emerge onto the gallery which is above the dome but below the cupola.  The views are similar but even higher up and with the dome in the foreground.  That scalloped shape is the top of the dome.  You can see Paternoster Square on the right.

The clock from an unusual angle.

 
And the view to the east again.