The medieval cathedral hidden beneath London's most famous landmark
In short: Before Sir Christopher Wren built the iconic dome we see today, a massive medieval cathedral dominated the City of London. Destroyed in 1666, its remains were long obscured, but recent archaeological work is finally revealing a structure of European importance that once rivaled the greatest churches of the era.
Archaeological excavations conducted between 1969 and 2006 have provided a window into the layers of history beneath Wren's St Paul's. While the current building was constructed between 1675 and 1711, it sits atop a complex narrative reaching back to Roman times. The medieval predecessor, destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, is now being repositioned as a major architectural achievement comparable to Ely, Norwich, and Winchester.
The cathedral's evolution began significantly in 1087 with its reconstruction into a gigantic medieval form. This period saw the development of a fully-developed Romanesque style in the London region even before the Norman Conquest. The scale of the project was ambitious; its long nave suggests it was intended to rival Winchester, while its presbytery—consisting of four bays and an underlying crypt—places it alongside major church projects at Winchester and Bury St Edmunds. Some scholars suggest the nave's elevation may have been inspired by St-Etienne in Caen.
Tracing the site's history further back remains challenging. While there is no certain evidence of a specific Anglo-Saxon cathedral, a 1932 test pit on the north-west side revealed an 11th-century foundation. This suggests that Saxon layers may still exist in pockets of stratigraphy, though the exact location of early buildings remains unknown. Additionally, archaeologists have catalogued grave furniture from the 10th and 11th centuries for the first time, including a famous Anglo-Scandinavian grave-marker in Ringerike style which shows evidence of reuse in a medieval building.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Archaeology of St Paul's Cathedral - Dr John Schofield
- Also: The Archaeology of St Paul's Cathedral
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