Take a 360º virtual visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London!

If you’re thinking about taking a short stay, annual vacation or holiday in London, let the VR Tour Bus be your virtual tour guide to London!

With so much to see and do in London, it makes sense to carefully plan your trip. This way, you and your family can make the most of your holiday time and save a great deal of frustration and aching feet!

The Virtual London Bus Tour is one of the best ways to explore London’s top visitor attractions, and to discover some of the famous city views. You don’t even need to pack a suitcase (yet), or leave your armchair … simply click the tour link, and let the VR Tour Bus whisk you away to this wondrous and historic city.

Our interactive tour to London will allow you to explore thirty-six of London’s most popular locations. The “Demo” tour showcases four of London’s most popular tourist locations, is completely free, and it can be viewed here.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at one of these four locations … St. Paul’s Cathedral.

An Anglo-Saxon church dedicated to Paul the Apostle was first founded here, on top of Ludgate Hill in the year 604.

St Paull’s Cathedral

The current imposing structure of St Paul’s Cathedral was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built to replace the original Gothic cathedral that was lost during the Great Fire of London in 1666. The cathedral was built in the classical baroque style with inspiration from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

Situated behind the clock face in the southwest tower is the bell named Great Tom. This famous bell chimes on the hour, every hour, but is also tolled on significant occasions such as for the deaths of senior members of the Royal Family. The real location sound of Great Tom can be heard ringing in the demo tour as it tolls the hour at seven o’clock.

The marble statue that stands to the west of St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1885 and depicts Queen Anne wearing a golden crown, holding a gilded orb and sceptre. The four figures around the base represent Britannia (with golden trident), France (with fleur-de-lys), Ireland (with harp) and North America (with bow and arrow).

St Paul’s Cathedral itself, stands 111 m (365 ft) high, 175 m (574 ft) long and 75 m (246 ft) wide when measured across the East and West transepts.

The central dome is perhaps St Paul’s most recognised and notable feature. It is supported by eight arches and carries a decorative cornice, with a narrow walkway called the Whispering Gallery. The name derives from its unique acoustic characteristics, claiming that a whisper against its wall can also be heard at any other point around the gallery. The dome was decorated by architect and painter Sir James Thornhill, (1675-1734), who also created the ornate ceiling at “The Painted Hall” in the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich. You can virtually stand beneath the central dome and experience the incredible interior of St Paul’s Cathedral in the full VR Tour Bus tour.

The cathedral has led a host of memorable events, including the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, Winston Churchill’s funeral, and celebrations for the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilee services of Queen Elizabeth II. The crypt contains over two hundred memorials, and is the burial place of many of Britain’s most venerable individuals. These include, Admiral Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington, Alexander Fleming, Alfred Munnings, J.M.W Turner and Sir Christopher Wren himself. Above Wren’s tomb is the Latin inscription “Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice”, which translate as “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you”.

Conclusion

Don’t forget to try the free tour by clicking this demo link! You can also view the free demo tour on the VR Tour Bus Apple app store or VR Tour Bus Android smartphone app, just search the App Stores for “VR Tour Bus”! For an even more immersive experience, why not buy the official VR Tour Bus Google Cardboard viewer – it’s available from Amazon UK.