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St Paul’s Cathedral Completes £40m Restoration Project and Celebrates 300th Anniversary
On 16th June 2011, one of the largest and most impressive restoration projects ever undertaken in the UK was formally completed.
The St Paul’s Cathedral programme of cleaning and repair has cost £40m, taken 10 years, and is the first time in its history that the building has been comprehensively restored inside and out.
The day saw Canon Mark Oakley, Treasurer of St Paul’s, point the last stone which formally marked the end of the restoration project.
The culmination of the cleaning project coincides with the 300th anniversary of St Paul’s Cathedral being declared complete by Parliament.
Since the project of cleaning and repair commenced, the exterior and interior of the cathedral have been beautifully restored. Once blackened and damaged, the west front now rises majestically at the top of Ludgate Hill. The interior of the cathedral has been transformed by state of the art restoration techniques and the light that now floods the space, highlights the Portland stone used in the cathedral’s construction and brings mosaics, carvings and sculptures to life.
The Right Reverend Graeme Knowles, Dean of St Paul’s said:
“We are thrilled to mark the 300th anniversary of the completion of St Paul’s with the completion of this extraordinary restoration project. The two million visitors and worshippers who come to St Paul’s each year can now witness Wren’s original vision and see the cathedral as fresh as the day it was completed.”
Martin Stancliffe, Surveyor to the Fabric, who has overseen the restoration project, said:
“It has been an honour to work on this project…”
16th June marked the first time in a decade that the building is free from scaffolding. To celebrate this achievement, St Paul’s is launching the St Paul’s Cathedral 300th Anniversary Photography Competition. Photographers are invited to submit their best exterior shots of the building. The ten winning images will be displayed in the cathedral crypt as part of the timeline outside the film experience Oculus: an eye into St Paul’s. More information can be found at www.stpauls.co.uk/photocomp
Bare Leaning and Bare, part of Synergy Construction and Property Consultants since 2008, have been cost consultants to the Dean and Chapter for the past 20 years. Geoff Evans one of our Partners, has worked with St Paul’s Cathedral throughout that period. He attended a thanksgiving service held at the Cathedral to mark the completion of the restoration, alongside colleagues, Tina Hanks and Claire Chandler, who have been the project quantity surveyors for much of the work. They were in good company as the event was also attended by the Queen and Prince Phillip.
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