Christopher Wren

Sir Christopher Wren (October 20, 1632 - February 25, 1723) was an English architect of the seventeenth century, famous for his role in the re-building of London's churches after the Great Fire of London of 1666.

Life and Times

Wren is particularly known for his design for St Paul's Cathedral, one of very few cathedrals in England to have been built after the medieval period, and the only Renaissance cathedral in the country. An inscription inside the cathedral, dedicated to the architect, reads, "Lector, si monumentum requiris, circumspice" ("Reader, if you seek his memorial, look around you").

Born in 1632 in Wiltshire, Wren was the son of the dean of Windsor. His academic career was centered at Oxford, where he was a member of both Wadham and All Soul's Colleges. In 1657, he became professor of astronomy at Gresham College and four years later he became the Savilian Professor of astronomy at Oxford until his resignation in 1673. Wren was also one of the founding members of the Royal Society, of which he was president from 1680 to 1682.

His first serious architectural venture was the Sheldonian Theatre, which can still be seen at Oxford, and he designed various other university buildings in both Oxford and Cambridge.

After the Great Fire of London, he was selected as the architect of St Paul's, the previous building having been destroyed. The design and construction of the new cathedral took from 1675 to 1710, and in the interim Wren designed many other buildings, including over fifty London churches, many of which remain standing. These include St Bride's, St Mary le Bow, St Clement Danes, St Benet Paul's Wharf, and St Stephen Walbrook. In addition, he was involved in the design of the Monument to the Great Fire of London, Royal Greenwich Observatory, Chelsea Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Marlborough House, the Ashmolean Museum, the Wren Library, and many other distinguished buildings.

Christopher Wren was Knighted in 1673 and also served as a member of Parliament in 1685-1688 and 1702-1705.

Wren died in 1723 and was buried at St Paul's.

Major works attributed to Wren

Chapels

Pembroke College Chapel, Cambridge
Emmanuel College Chapel, Cambridge
Catholic Chapel, Whitehall Palace

Churches

Surviving

St Andrew by the Wardrobe, London
St Andrew, Holborn, London
St Anne and St Agnes, Gresham Street, London
St Benet Fink, Threadneedle Street, London
St Benet Paul's Wharf, Queen Victoria Street, London
St Bride, Fleet Street, London
St Clement Danes, Strand, Westminster
St Clement Eastcheap, London
St Dunstan in the East, London
St Edmund the King, Lombard Street, London
St James Garlickhythe, Garlick Hill, London
St James's Piccadilly, Westminster
St Lawrence Jewry, London
St Magnus Martyr, Lower Thames Street, London
St Margaret Pattens, London
St Margaret, Lothbury, London
St Martin Ludgate, London
St Mary Abchurch, London
St Mary Aldermanbury, London
St Mary-at-Hill, Thames Street, London
St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside, London
St Michael Paternoster Royal, College Hill, London
St Michael, Cornhill, London (tower and upper half of main building)
St Nicholas Cole Abbey, London
St Paul's Cathedral
St Peter upon Cornhill, Cornhill, London
St Stephen Walbrook, London
St Vedast alias Foster, Foster Lane, London
Enlarged the Protestant Church in the Savoy, London
Ingestre Church, Staffordshire

Destroyed

All Hallows the Great, Lombard Street, London
All Hallows, Bread Street, London
All Hallows, Lombard Street, London
Christ Church Newgate, Newgate Street, London
St Alban, Wood Street, London
St Anne's Church, Soho
St Antholin, Watling Street, London
St Augustine with St Faith, Watling Street, London
St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange, Exchange, London
St Benet, Gracechurch Street, London
St Christopher-le-Stocks, Threadneedle Street, London
St Dionis Backchurch, Fenchurch Street, London
St George, Botolph Lane, London
St Mary Aldermary, Bow Lane, London
St Mary Magdalene, Old Fish Street, London
St Mary Somerset, Thames Street, London
St Matthew, Friday Street, London
St Michael Queenhithe, Upper Thames Street, London
St Michael, Crooked Lane, London
St Michael, Wood Street, London
St Mildred, Bread Street, London
St Mildred, Poultry, London
St Olave Old Jewry, London
St Stephen Coleman, Coleman Street, London
St Swithin London Stone, Cannon Street, London

College Halls of Residence

Garden Quadrangle, Trinity College, Oxford
Williamson Building, The Queen's College, Oxford

Court Rooms

Court House, Windsor

Gateways & Entrances

Temple Bar, London
Tom Tower, Christ Church, Oxford

Government Offices

The Custom House, London
The Navy Office, Seething Lane, London

Guard Houses

Guard House, Windsor Castle

Hospitals

The Royal Hospital, Chelsea
Royal Naval Hospital, Greenwich

Houses

Tring Manor House, Hertfordshire
Thoresby House, Nottinghamshire
Bridgewater Square Development, London
Winslow Hall, Buckinghamshire
Marlborough House, St James's, London

Libraries

Lincoln Cathedral Library, Lincoln
Trinity College Library, Cambridge

Monuments

The Monument, Fish Street Hill, London

Observatories & Scientific Buildings

The Royal Observatory, Greenwich
Repository, Royal Society, Crane Court, Fleet Street, London

Palaces

Winchester Palace, Winchester
Catholic Chapel, Council Chamber and Privy Gallery, Whitehall Palace
Queen's Apartment and Terraced Garden, Whitehall Palace
South and East Ranges, Hampton Court Palace
Reconstruction of Kensington Palace

Schools & Colleges

Upper School, Eton College, Buckinghamshire
Writing School, Christ's Hospital, London
St John Moore's School, Appleby, Leicestershire
College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, USA

Theatres

Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford (not for plays but for University ceremonies)
Drury Lane Theatre, London