Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral

Sir Christopher Wren, first Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral. 1711 portrait by Godfrey Kneller.

The post of Surveyor of the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral was established in 1675. ^{[n 1] [2]} The role is an architectural one, with the current holder being responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the cathedral and its buildings. ^{[n 2]} In the past, the role has involved overseeing new construction work as well as restoration and architectural conservation. ^[1] The post has been held by the following people:

1. Christopher Wren (1675–1723) ^[2]
2. John James (1723–1746) ^[2]
3. Henry Flitcroft (1746–1756) ^[2]
4. Stiff Leadbetter (1756–1766) ^[2]
5. Robert Mylne (1766–1811) ^[2]
6. Samuel Pepys Cockerell (1811–1819) ^[2]
7. Charles Robert Cockerell (1819–1852) ^[2]
8. Francis Penrose (1852–1897) ^[2]
9. Somers Clarke (1897–1906) ^[2]
10. Mervyn Edmund Macartney (1906–1931) ^[2]
11. Walter Godfrey Allen (1931–1956) ^[2]
12. John Seely, Lord Mottistone (1956–1963) ^[2]
13. Paul Edward Paget (1963–1969) ^[2]
14. Bernard Feilden (1969–1977) ^[2]
15. Robert Potter (1978–1984) ^{[2] [3]}
16. William Whitfield (1985–1990) ^[3]
17. Martin Stancliffe (1990–2011) ^{[3] [4]}
18. Oliver Caroe (2011–present) ^[4]

Notes

1. In 1669, Wren had been appointed Surveyor-General of the King's Works, a post that included responsibility for St Paul's Cathedral. ^[1] This list starts from 1675, the year the foundation stone was laid for the new St Paul's Cathedral, the old cathedral having been mostly destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666.
2. For more on the modern evolution of the role and related guidance and legislation, see Cathedral Architect.

References

1. "Architectural Archive". St Paul's Cathedral. Retrieved 20 January 2018– via Archives Hub.
2. Burman, Peter (1987). St Paul's Cathedral. Bell & Hyman. p. 181.
3. Burman, Peter (2004). "Chapter 23: Decoration, Furnishings and Art since 1900". In Keene, Derek; Burns, R. Arthur; Saint, Andrew (eds.). St. Paul's: The Cathedral Church of London, 604–2004. Yale University Press. p. 264. ISBN   9780300092769.
4. "Oliver Caroe appointed Surveyor to the Fabric of St Paul's Cathedral" (PDF) (Press release). St Paul's Cathedral. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2018.

Further reading

• For a fuller history of the 20th-century surveyorships, see Peter Burman's 'Decoration, Furnishings and Art since 1900', forming chapter 23 of St. Paul's: The Cathedral Church of London, 604–2004 (2004)
• For more on the history of the surveyorships, see the lecture 'St Paul's at 300', given at Gresham College in two parts in November 2011 by the retiring surveyor Martin Stancliffe (Part 1 and Part 2)