The exterior of St. Paul's Cathedral consists of two superposed orders, and the western entrance (see our illustration) has a portico of twelve Corinthian columns supporting an entablature, from which rise eight composite columns crowned by a second entablature, surmounted by a pediment enriched with sculptures representing the conversion of St. Paul, and statues by F. Bird, who also executed the statue of Queen Anne before the western door.
The two western towers, which harmonize well with the dome, are each about 250 feet high, and the dome, the principal feature of the building, consisting in reality of three domes, one within the other, springs from a base 250 feet high above the pavement, and has a summit 464 feet high.
The dome displays in a high degree the constructive skill of its great architect. It is built on a new principle, the outward pressure of the vault being neutralized by the weight of a cone of brickwork supporting the stone lantern on the top, a contrivance of rare power, but slightly spoilt in appearance by the parsimony, which grudged the extra expense of disguising it.
On account of a lack of funds the external dome is also of wood instead of stone, for only by using the cheaper material could Wren obtain permission to raise the crowning feature of his work to the height which gives it its noble and stately appearance.
The semi-circular porticos on the north and south are also extremely fine, but they are seen to great disadvantage on account of the number of houses surrounding them.
The best view of St. Paul's, as a whole, is from the river, or from Blackfriars Bridge, for in London itself, even on Ludgate Hill, the chief approach to the cathedral, it is impossible to get far enough away from it to lose a bewildering sense of detail.