Nelson's Column
Our plan for the day was to visit St. Paul's Cathedral and then take in some other sights and museums that were included in our "London Pass" which we had purchased our first day in London. We took the Tube over towards St. Paul's, stopping first to take pictures at Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square. The Column is a monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
St. Paul's Cathedral
Following our walk around Trafalgar Square, we went to St. Paul's. The Cathedral, atop Ludgate Hill, is the highest point in the city and was designed by Sir Christopher Wren, as were so many of the post-London fire buildings. It is one of the largest church buildings in he world and was London's highest structure until the 1960s. Despite being targeted by the Nazis during World War II, the church survived virtually unscathed. A bomb struck the cathedtal in September 1940 but was defused before it could detonate. Another bomb hit the building later that year but the lead shell of the Cathedral's dome deflected the bomb. It is rumored that Churchill directed fire-fighters to protect the Cathedral as other parts of London were burning from the Blitz to guard the Cathedral and maintain British morale during the War.
