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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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St Paul's Cathedral
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(London EC4) The present St Paul's is the fifth on the site. The first was founded in 604. The fourth, begun in the late 11C, was the one known now as Old St Paul's. Destroyed in the *Great Fire, it was considerably larger and taller than the present cathedral. This, the outstanding example of English *baroque, was built 1675–1710 to the design of Sir Christopher *Wren. Both Nelson and Wellington are buried in the cathedral, as well as Wren himself – whose famous epitaph Si monumentum requiris, circumspice ('If you seek his monument, look about you') is attributed to his son.
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The walkway round the base of the dome, known as the Whispering Gallery, has long been famous for its acoustics; even a whispered word uttered close to the wall sounds clear to someone on the far side. One of the treasures of the cathedral is the Great Wooden Model (5.5m/18ft long), a version of Wren's proposed design made for him in 1673 and complete in even the tiniest details.
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