John Schofield’s previous works on the archaeology of London have covered many aspects of the city, including its houses from 1200 to the Great Fire of 1666, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, and its Orders of Friars. In this new book, Schofield turns his attention to the iconic centre of the city, namely St Paul’s Cathedral.

This large volume draws together the archaeological evidence for the succession of churches on the site on Ludgate Hill, taking the history up to the present day. As this is a complicated archaeological site, Schofield attempts to explain and contextualise the evidence for the other, older churches from a succession of studies and opportunities, before moving on to discussions on post-Great Fire burials, conservation and wartime damage. Within this wide-ranging study there is considerable focus on the work of Sir Christopher Wren and his building programme between 1666 and 1720, and an attempt at placing his work firmly in its archaeological context.

Schofield’s detailed and comprehensive account of Wren’s building programme includes not only the main parts of the cathedral as seen today, but also the more ephemeral structures such as construction huts and the temporary arrangements for services during the building phases of the seventeenth century. While the book provides such details in a more general discussion, these are interspersed with detailed archaeological surveys, plans and specialist reports.

The lavish illustrations are excellent not only in their quality but also in number. The photographs include historical evidence and are also used to illustrate the points made in the text. Particularly poignant are those from the period of the Second World War and its immediate aftermath. The illustrations are likewise a combination of archaeological plans, architects’ surveys and early etchings/drawings (for example, the pre-Wren cathedral and the funeral arrangements for Admiral Horatio Nelson in 1806). For the more serious archaeological points, the author uses cut-away sections (for example, of the dome, diagrams showing the nave roof’s trusses and tie beams and the steel beams used in the peristyle). Good use is also made of maps from all periods, especially in respect to bomb damage in the Second World War and the post-war redevelopment of the road system around the cathedral.

Many interesting details of this building are included that would not perhaps be found in a standard ‘history’ of the site. Gems of this nature include details of bomb removal in 1940 (later detonated on Hackney Marshes). Similarly, there is a discussion of Sir Christopher Wren’s original intentions that the cathedral should include no burials, and how and when this was overlooked (including Wren’s own burial in the crypt in 1723). There are also notes on how the north aisle of the choir was in the precinct of the parish of St Faith and therefore burial rights extended to this area of the cathedral. The book also describes and often illustrates the survival of many different parts of the pre-Great Fire medieval cathedral and their location. This might be expected in a detailed work of this type, but their discovery was a delight.

Stylistically, the work moves from detailed archaeological reports and assessment to more general discussions (for example, of the burial patterns in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries). The later sections of the book provide many detailed archaeological reports from specialists in such areas as pottery, brick, human bone and the wood used in the nave roof beams. These reinforce the work as a true archaeological report presented in an accessible ‘coffee table’ appearance. This style might lead a more casual observer to the conclusion that the book was intended as a more general history and archaeology of this major building, but do not be fooled. Despite its appearance, this is a serious and comprehensive discussion of St Paul’s intended to ensure that the legacy of its architect, Sir Christopher Wren, could be determined in its modern guise. The many illustrations reinforce this intention. It is a glossy, beautifully presented, volume but that should not detract from its serious and major contribution to the archaeology both of St Paul’s itself and of London.