Old St Paul's Cathedral - North side

In our third and final blog on the Lost London Selfridges’ Christmas Window, which recreates in gingerbread buildings that have been lost or were never built in the capital, we take a look at Old St Paul’s Cathedral and the Euston Arch.

 Old St Paul's Cathedral - West side 

Old St Paul’s is the name given to the previous St Paul’s Cathedral which was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. It dates from 1087 and took over two hundred years to build. During this time architectural techniques evolved so the building started being built in a Romanesque or Norman style and was completed in a gothic style. 

 Model of Old St Paul's Cathedral - South side at the Museum of London 

Old St Paul's when completed had the tallest spire in Britain which was 489f/ 149m tall. The model in Sefridges window depicts the cathedral before 1561 when the spire was struck by lightning and damaged, leaving it as a stump until the building was destroyed in the Great Fire. There is a beautiful, detailed model of the old cathedral in the Museum of London which is worth viewing.

 Floor Plan of the Old St Paul's Cathedral and the present day Cathdral  

Old St Paul’s was longer and higher than the present building. An easy way to compare the size of the two buildings is to visit St Paul’s Churchyard and look at the floor plan. The grey area depicts the present building, designed by Christopher Wren and completed in 1710, while Old St Paul’s which is represented in the black outline is visibly larger.

 Euston Arch 

The Euston Arch was a Doric portico that fronted the entrance of the original Euston Station dating from 1837. The arch was supported on four columns with gates behind them. It was designed by Philip Hardwick and symbolically represented Euston as being the gateway from the capital to the North of England. With the electrification of the line to Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool the station was enlarged. This resulted in the demolition of the arch in 1961 and created considerable public protest.

Euston Arch Gates in the National Railway Museum

The original cast iron gates, which were manufactured by J.J. Bramah, are now in the National Railway Museum in York.

Practical Information 

Address:  Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, London W1A 1AB

Nearest Tube Stations:  Marble Arch or Bond Street with both stations being in Travelcard Zone 1 and a few minutes walk from Selfridges

Opening Hours:  Please check website for opening times.

Website:  http://www.selfridges.com/ 

If you liked this you may like to read Part I and Part II of the Lost London Selfridges Christmas window blogs.#

If you would like to know more about Old St Paul's consider booking on my Lost Churches walk. 

The author of this blog is a qualified City of London and City of Westminster Tour Guide who leads guided walks combining world famous landmarks with hidden treasures often missed by the crowds. 

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