Wren's staircase to be restored

It could have come from a Harry Potter film, and it did feature in The Madness of King George. Sir Christopher Wren's geometric staircase is one of the hidden treasures of St Paul's Cathedral which are being restored in readiness for a public debut.

The hanging stairs, which appear to defy gravity, are being cleaned and repaired as part of a £40 million facelift to mark the cathedral's 300th anniversary in 2008.

Wren, who was a mathematician and astronomer as well as an architect, designed the staircase to give the Dean of St Paul's a private route from the south-west corner of the cathedral to his library. . .

Each step of the cantilevered staircase is supported primarily by the step below, and damage to one could undermine the integrity of the whole.

Posted by David on April 7, 2003 9:38 PM