Britannica Sources used in this answer

What was the Warrant Design for St. Paul’s Cathedral?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

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

The Warrant Design was a proposal for St. Paul’s Cathedral submitted by Christopher Wren in 1675.1

Characterized as a "meagre Classical-Gothic" plan, it was created as a compromise after Wren’s more ambitious "Great Model" design failed to satisfy the cathedral's canons and general clerical opinion. The king accepted the Warrant Design, and construction began shortly thereafter.1

However, the cathedral that was ultimately built bears only a slight resemblance to this approved plan. As construction progressed over the following decades, Wren significantly modified the structure, incorporating elements that were more mature and detailed than those outlined in the original 1675 proposal.12