The first journey for our class was to St. Paul's Cathedral at the center of the city. We arrived at the cathedral after a bit of debate in front of the tube station. The dome of the cathedral dominates the skyline from a distance, but it is slightly harder to find when standing near the building as it is blocked by sky scrappers.
The cathedral, as it stands today, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1710. There have been other cathedrals dedicated to St. Paul that occupied this same location; the earliest dating back to 604AD. A decision was made to reconstruct the cathedral after its destruction in the Great Fire of 1666.
Our class was fortunate enough to be given a private tour of the Library and Triforium. Joe Wisdom, a member of the library staff, guided the class through several of the cathedral's private rooms. The first of these rooms was a private staircase used by the Bishop of London. According to Mr. Wisdom the Bishop used these steps to access either the cathedral or the library and corridors above. The staircase is supported by cantilever and rise three stories to the library and triforium above.
The triforium our class was able to view held a large scale wooden model. This model was designed by Christopher Wren and was the architects original plan for the cathedral. However, Wren's initial view contained an even larger dome and considered by more influential powers to be too Roman and ornate. The room also contained schematics for the cathedral. Most of these were not original copies this is because the room lacked the necessary conditions for the preservation of these documents. Mr. Wisdom informed us before leaving that this room was originally intended to be the library. This point was illustrated by the inclusion of several texts carved into the marble beams in the room.
Joe took us next to the cathedral library. The room itself was almost identical in size to the other triforium but furnished with wooden bookcases. The collection is comprised of theological texts and those pertaining to Christopher Wren. Mr. Wisdom explained that the room was not ideal for preservation and that many of the volumes were in disrepair. The collection is organized by the size of text with the largest at the bottom. In this way space can be used more efficiently. The cathedral's collection is used primarily by researchers interested in the history of the cathedral, Christopher Wren, or theolgical texts.
I found the tour to be a great look at a specialized library and the concerns and troubles which face an institution such as this.
I'd also like to add that if incarnation does in fact exist I would like to return as Joe Wisdom.
The cathedral, as it stands today, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1710. There have been other cathedrals dedicated to St. Paul that occupied this same location; the earliest dating back to 604AD. A decision was made to reconstruct the cathedral after its destruction in the Great Fire of 1666.
Our class was fortunate enough to be given a private tour of the Library and Triforium. Joe Wisdom, a member of the library staff, guided the class through several of the cathedral's private rooms. The first of these rooms was a private staircase used by the Bishop of London. According to Mr. Wisdom the Bishop used these steps to access either the cathedral or the library and corridors above. The staircase is supported by cantilever and rise three stories to the library and triforium above.
The triforium our class was able to view held a large scale wooden model. This model was designed by Christopher Wren and was the architects original plan for the cathedral. However, Wren's initial view contained an even larger dome and considered by more influential powers to be too Roman and ornate. The room also contained schematics for the cathedral. Most of these were not original copies this is because the room lacked the necessary conditions for the preservation of these documents. Mr. Wisdom informed us before leaving that this room was originally intended to be the library. This point was illustrated by the inclusion of several texts carved into the marble beams in the room.
Joe took us next to the cathedral library. The room itself was almost identical in size to the other triforium but furnished with wooden bookcases. The collection is comprised of theological texts and those pertaining to Christopher Wren. Mr. Wisdom explained that the room was not ideal for preservation and that many of the volumes were in disrepair. The collection is organized by the size of text with the largest at the bottom. In this way space can be used more efficiently. The cathedral's collection is used primarily by researchers interested in the history of the cathedral, Christopher Wren, or theolgical texts.
I found the tour to be a great look at a specialized library and the concerns and troubles which face an institution such as this.
I'd also like to add that if incarnation does in fact exist I would like to return as Joe Wisdom.
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