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St Paul's opened up to help preserve masterpiece
Evening Standard 7 Nov 2007A £40 million regeneration project will give visitors unprecedented access to parts of St Paul's Cathedral.
The work, due for completion before the cathedral's tricentenary in 2010, is vital to preserve the building, which has suffered the effects of mass tourism and pollution.
Jonathan Foyle, chief executive of the World Monument Fund, which contributed to the initiative with American Express, said: "The new areas will not just spread the burden of tourism but will expose people to parts of the cathedral-that they never knew were there so they can fully understand the great history of this place."
The areas will include the Trophy Room, which houses Sir Christopher Wren's Great Model, his original design for the cathedral to replace the one destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
Visitors can also view the triforium level, which was previously only open on selected dates, and a "lapidarium" containing medieval stones used in the building of the original cathedral.
A new exploration centre in the crypt will include architectural, historical, scientific, musical and religious history.
