Why was part of Christopher Wren’s salary withheld during the construction of St. Paul’s Cathedral?

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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.

During the construction of St. Paul’s Cathedral, the government withheld half of Christopher Wren’s salary as an incentive to accelerate the pace of the project.1

By 1697, construction had been underway for 22 years, and some government officials grew impatient with the duration of the work, particularly because the dome had not yet been built. Wren, who was 65 at the time the salary suspension was imposed, eventually saw the project to completion in 1710. Following the official declaration that the cathedral was finished in 1711, the 79-year-old architect petitioned for the withheld portion of his pay, which was subsequently granted.1