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How did Christopher Wren use assistants in rebuilding London’s churches?

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Christopher Wren Sir Christopher Wren, detail of an oil painting by Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1711; in the National Portrait Gallery, London.

Following the Great Fire of London in 1666, Christopher Wren was tasked with the monumental project of rebuilding 52 City churches. While Wren held personal responsibility for these designs, he relied heavily on delegation to manage the scale of the work.1

Evidence from surviving drawings indicates that only a small number of the designs were in Wren’s own hand, confirming that he delegated significant portions of the drafting and execution to assistants. Despite this delegation, Wren maintained oversight, as he approved the design for every church, and his distinct personality remains evident in the architecture of specific buildings.1

In the construction of his most prominent project, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Wren worked with a variety of skilled professionals, including:

Craftsmen and Artists: The French ironworker Jean Tijou, who created the choir grillwork and tower balustrades, and the sculptor Grinling Gibbons, who produced the choir stalls and organ case.2
Builders: Mason-contractors such as Thomas and Edward Strong and Joshua Marshall, as well as master carpenter John Longland.2