2nd December
In the Great Fire of London of 1666, St Paul's Cathedral was rendered roofless and unsafe. Dr Wren had recommended only months before the fire, that it was modernised with a dome to replace the spire. With the rest of the city being rebuilt in brick, it was accepted that there would be a new cathedral. In 1673, the centre of the dome was marked out amongst the rubble of the old, with a flat stone, before Wren was accepted as the Architect. Two days after his warrant to proceed with the design, he was knighted Sir Christopher Wren. Three designs later, the foundations of the Transcept were begun in 1676, and In 1711 Parliament declares St Paul's complete.
So what's significant about 2nd December? In 1697 on that day, it was officially opened and the first service was held in the new Choir. The engraving below shows the choir in 1706, when Queen Anne and both Houses of Parliament attended the Great Thanksgiving on New Year's Eve.
