The 13 Most Iconic Buildings From British Architect Christopher Wren On His 382nd Birthday
The facade of St Paul's Cathedral is designed in neoclassical style, with two rows of columns below a triangular tympanum. The two towers on the sides are a reminder of the medieval origin of the church.
The dome of St Paul's seen from the Millennium Bridge. The dome is one of the largest in the world and used to be London's tallest building until 1953.
The Monument is a commemoration of the Great Fire. It is built on the exact same location where the fire started in a bakery shop on the night of Sept. 2, 1666
Not too far from St Paul's and the Monument is Temple Church. One of the oldest churches in Britain, dating back to Roman times, Wren was commissioned to build a new entrance to the churchyard. The result is Temple Bar.
St Vedast Church in Fleet Street is famous for journalists in London. The tall spire is one of Wren's signatory features, balancing the neoclassical style with gothic elements in church architecture.
St Mary Le Bow is another one of London's oldest buildings. Completely destroyed in the Great Fire, Wren rebuilt it with a taller tower.
Wren was also commissioned for several civic palaces. This one is Hampton Court, one of the residences of the British monarch, on the Thames River west of London.
Marlborough House is the London residence of the duke of the same name, just a stone's throw from Buckingham Palace.
Kensington Palace is another residence of the British monarchy. Until recently, Prince William and Kate Middleton lived here.
Hospitals are another typical type of building from Wren. This is the Royal Chelsea, still used as a retirement house for pensioners of the British army.
Greenwich Hospital was built in 1692 for pensioners of the Navy. It now hosts the Royal Naval College, as well as seasonal exhibitions.
Not too far from Greenwich Hospital is Greenwich Observatory, where you can straddle the Prime Meridian. This building was also built by Wren, which was a departure from his characteristic style.
Wren studied at Wadham College, Oxford, from 1650 to 1652. In 1664 he was commissioned to build the Sheldonian Theatre, used by the University for ceremonial lectures and musical concerts.
Wren also built the tower of Christchurch College at Oxford. If the building looks familiar, it is because it has been used to film the Harry Potter movies, as well as other films.
The University of Cambridge also commissioned several buildings to Wren, including the library of Trinity College.
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