The Great Fire of London left much of London as a smoldering pile of ash.

The man given the job of rebuilding was Sir Christopher Wren, who set about designing some of the finest buildings in the city. Here are some his most celebrated works:

ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL

The building most synonymous with Wren’s London building is, of course, St Paul’s Cathedral.

We featured the Cathedral in the May 2021 issue and so won’t go into too much detail now, other than to say that whatever the huge merits of many of the buildings on this list, nothing comes close to the majesty and beauty of this most iconic of London’s landmarks.

Sir Christopher Wren died in his sleep at age 90. He was buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral. His son wrote a dedication to him that hangs on a nearby wall that says simply, “Reader, if you seek a monument, look about you.”

THE MONUMENT TO THE GREAT FIRE OF LONDON

The Monument to the Great Fire of London was built between 1671 and 1677 to remember the fire but primarily to celebrate the rebuilding of the city.

It is found at the piazza between Fish Street Hill and Monument Street.

The Monument was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr. Robert Hooke, a physicist who assisted Wren in some of the post-fire rebuilding designs.

The Monument is 202 feet (62 m) high, making it the tallest isolated stone column in the world.

Visitors who climb the 311 steps to the top receive a certificate showing they made it. They are also rewarded with incredible panoramic views of the city.

It is also 202 feet (62 m) from the location on Pudding Street where it is believed that the fire started. The Monument is built using Portland Stone, a material that is strong, durable, and weather-resistant.

Wren used this in many of his buildings, including St. Paul’s Cathedral.

ROYAL OBSERVATORY IN GREENWICH

Before his career as an architect took off after the Great Fire, Christopher Wren was an accomplished astronomer and professor of astronomy at Oxford.

Which is why King Charles II commissioned him to design an observatory in London, Wren chose to build the observatory in Greenwich.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is at the centre of the world and is famous as the home of the Prime Median.

It is the longitudinal (north/south) marker of the Earth representing Longitude 0.

The Observatory divides the world into eastern and western hemispheres. Every other place on Earth is measured in terms of its distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.

Visitors enjoy standing in the Observatory, feet on either side of the Prime Meridian line, so they are straddling the east and west halves of the planet Earth. Because it is the go-to location for mapping the night sky, it is the location of a universal measure of time (known as Greenwich Meantime).

This makes it possible to standardize time across the planet as all time zones use Greenwich Mean Time as the universal clock calibrated according to the time each day that the sun passes the Prime Meridian.

52 CHURCHES IN ADDITION TO ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL

Although 87 parishes were destroyed in the fire, many parishes merged so that only 52, plus St. Paul’s Cathedral, were rebuilt. Christopher Wren was responsible for them all.

Wren was good at delegating his work. Not all surviving drawings are in his writing, but it is clear that he approved each design.

Those familiar with his work can see his distinct personality when visiting the churches, such as Christ Church, Greyfriars pictured.

HAMPTON COURT PALACE

The Tudor Hampton Court Palace was originally built in the early 16th Century. King Henry VIII lived there with each of his six wives.

In 1689, William III and Mary II took the throne and commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to design them a completely new and elegant baroque palace.

Wren’s original plans for demolishing the whole palace were scrapped and ultimately, he designed only the spectacular Fountain Court. Much of the original Tudor Palace was left intact.

In 1710, Queen Anne commissioned Wren to remodel the Palace Chapel. He added an organ, boxed-in pews, and build a staircase leading to the Royal Pew.

In 1838, Queen Victoria opened the Palace to the public. It is now a favourite tourist site not only for its incredibly elegant interior but for its spectacular gardens and fountains.

WREN BUILDINGS OUTSIDE LONDON

Wren wasn’t confined to building in London. He was also responsible for several wonderful buildings elsewhere in the UK, especially Oxford and Cambridge.

Here a couple of excellent examples: