Christopher Wren
Christopher Wren was born in East Knoyle, Wiltshire, on the 18th of November 1632. He was the only surviving son of Christopher Wren the Elder and Mary Cox. His father served as the rector of East Knoyle before becoming Dean of Windsor in March 1635. The family lived at East Knoyle for his first eight years while he received education from a local clergyman named William Shepherd. A private tutor also taught him at home alongside his father. Medical records describe young Wren as seeming consumptive during this period. Despite appearing sickly as a child, he survived into robust old age. His mother died shortly after giving birth to Elizabeth in 1634. No surviving record confirms the exact date of her death. Through his mother's inheritance from Robert Cox, the family gained financial stability.
Wren entered Wadham College, Oxford, on the 25th of June 1650. There he studied Latin and the works of Aristotle under John Wilkins. This association led to his involvement with the Invisible College group. In 1657, he became Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College in London. His scientific experiments included injecting fluids into the bloodstream of live dogs. This procedure marked the first successful injection of substances into an animal's blood under laboratory conditions. He observed the Moon and invented micrometers for telescopes. Wren developed a tipping bucket rain gauge in 1662. He designed a weather clock that recorded temperature, humidity, rainfall, and barometric pressure by 1663. His work on optics produced mathematical results about hyperboloids of revolution published in 1669. A problem posed by Wren regarding planetary orbits served as a source for Newton's Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis. The Royal Society received its Royal Charter from Charles II in 1662. Wren served as president of this society from 1680 to 1682.
A week after Wren submitted plans for rebuilding London, the Great Fire destroyed two-thirds of the city in September 1666. He had made his first design for St Paul's Cathedral dome in spring 1666 before the fire occurred. Between the 5th and the 11th of September 1666, he ascertained the precise area of devastation. Wren submitted his plan for rebuilding the entire city to King Charles II but no new plan proceeded further than paper drawings. In 1669, the King appointed him Surveyor of Works following the death of the previous holder. This role gave him presence in the general process of rebuilding the city. He was personally responsible for rebuilding fifty-one churches within the City of London. A second rebuilding act passed in 1670 raised taxes on coal to fund church reconstruction. By 1674, Wren produced what became known as the Warrant Design attached to a royal warrant dated the 14th of May 1675. The cathedral that started construction bore only slight resemblance to this initial design. The first service held in the completed structure took place in 1697 when Wren was sixty-five years old.
Wren began work on St Paul's Cathedral in 1673 after submitting his Great Model design. Construction continued for thirty-six years until parliament declared completion in 1711. The dome remained unfinished until the final stages of building. Parliament withheld half of his salary for fourteen years since 1697 to accelerate progress. Thornhill painted the inner dome in false perspective against Wren's wishes. The commission authorized a balustrade around the roof line which diluted the hard edge Wren had intended. He received payment for the remaining half of his salary in 1711. His greatest disappointment concerned these alterations to his original vision. The cathedral stands on Ludgate Hill and represents his most famous architectural achievement. A memorial plaque in the crypt bears an inscription written by his eldest son Christopher Wren the Younger. The crypt contains his body placed in the southeast corner alongside those of his daughter Jane and sister Susan Holder.
Wren designed Chelsea Hospital between 1682 and 1692 as one of his first large secular projects. The Royal Observatory was constructed from 1675 to 1676 with Robert Hooke involved in its creation. The Wren Library at Trinity College Cambridge took shape between 1676 and 1684. Hampton Court Palace underwent reconstruction from 1689 to 1700 under his direction. Kensington Palace was built between 1689 and 1696 following James II's removal from the throne. Windsor Guildhall cost £2687-1s-6d to complete in 1687. A story claims Wren made supporting columns slightly short so they did not touch the ceiling proving they were unnecessary. He served as Member of Parliament for Plymouth Erle during the Loyal Parliament from 1685 to 1687. His election for New Windsor on the 11th of January 1689 was declared void on the 14th of May 1689. He retired from parliamentary service after winning unopposed for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis in November 1701.
Wren died in his sleep on the 25th of February 1723 at age ninety while visiting London. He had caught a cold during one of these unofficial trips to check progress on St Paul's Cathedral. His body was laid to rest on the 5th of March 1723 in the crypt beneath the dome. Christopher Wren appeared on the reverse of the first British £50 banknote issued between 1981 and 1994. UNESCO inscribed Greenwich Hospital on the World Heritage list in 1997 citing its outstanding architectural achievements. The Royal Society elected him president twice during his lifetime. His scientific work influenced Isaac Newton and Blaise Pascal significantly. A memorial inscription in black marble circles the main floor beneath the cathedral dome. The Wren family estate remained at The Old Court House in Hampton Court area. His son Christopher supervised the topping out ceremony of St Paul's in 1710 before writing Parentalia memoirs about their family history.
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Common questions
When was Christopher Wren born and where did he grow up?
Christopher Wren was born on the 18th of November 1632 in East Knoyle, Wiltshire. He lived at East Knoyle for his first eight years while receiving education from a local clergyman named William Shepherd.
What scientific contributions did Christopher Wren make before becoming an architect?
Christopher Wren developed a tipping bucket rain gauge in 1662 and designed a weather clock that recorded temperature, humidity, rainfall, and barometric pressure by 1663. He also performed the first successful injection of substances into an animal's blood under laboratory conditions and published mathematical results about hyperboloids of revolution in 1669.
How long did it take to build St Paul's Cathedral after Christopher Wren began work on it?
Construction of St Paul's Cathedral continued for thirty-six years until parliament declared completion in 1711. The cathedral started construction in 1673 after Wren submitted his Great Model design.
Which buildings did Christopher Wren design between 1675 and 1700?
Christopher Wren constructed the Royal Observatory from 1675 to 1676 with Robert Hooke involved in its creation. He designed Chelsea Hospital between 1682 and 1692 and oversaw the reconstruction of Hampton Court Palace from 1689 to 1700.
When did Christopher Wren die and where is he buried?
Christopher Wren died in his sleep on the 25th of February 1723 at age ninety while visiting London. His body was laid to rest on the 5th of March 1723 in the crypt beneath the dome of St Paul's Cathedral.