Visit Westminster Cathedral and see London from the top of its Campanile Bell Tower

Where?

Westminster Cathedral, 42 Francis Street, Victoria · Web: westminstercathedral.org

Opening times?

Cathedral: Usually 8 AM to 6 PM (Mon-Fri); 8 AM to 6.30 PM (Sat); 8 AM to 7.30 PM (Sun) · Bell tower: 9.30 AM to 5 PM (Mon-Fri); 9.30 AM to 6 PM (Sat-Sun) · Treasures exhibition: 9.30 AM to 5 PM (Mon-Fri); 9.30 AM to 6 PM (Sat-Sun)

Visiting hours may change

Time required?

A typical visit is 1 hour

Parking:

Nearby car parks

Buses:

11, 24, 148, 507, 211

Bus fares

Trains:

The closest station is Victoria Circle District Victoria

Train fares

Craig’s review… Everybody’s heard of Westminster Abbey because that’s where we do all of the Royal coronations, weddings and burials, but not many tourists are aware of Westminster Cathedral just ten minutes down the road. This is the mother church of Roman Catholics (Westminster Abbey is Church of England) and the first time you clap eyes on its exterior of fanned domes, octagon towers and terracotta stripes and spirals you’ll wonder if you’ve stumbled across a Sultan’s palace, or some kind of exotic Byzantine building.

Photo: Craig Cross

Inside Westminster Cathedral

Inside it’s a completely different story… imagine the interior of St. Paul’s but with soot instead of gold. The ceiling’s covered in a coat of smoke and it almost feels like you’re sitting inside one of Brunel’s old Victorian train tunnels. The columns up the sides are all iced in brightly coloured marble that have those swirling shapes you sometimes see when petrol falls on water.

Photo: Craig Cross

I like the grandstand racks of ruby red candies outside the chapels as well. A teenage kid has just extinguished a few of the spluttering stubs and is trying to re-light them with his Zippo just for the hell of it – just because he likes the light. Some people light them as an offering to God, but he just wants to burn something.

Photo: Craig Cross

View of London from the Campanile Bell Tower

Westminster Cathedral hasn’t had time to accumulate as many famous tombs as somewhere like St. Paul’s but what it does have is a 210-feet bell tower with an observation platform at the top.

Don’t worry about climbing up the stairs because the lady behind the till leads you to a lift. She escorts you to the top and then you have to summon her up with a doorbell when you want to return back down again. So she basically spends her entire life going up and down in this tiny little lift every time a tourist rings the bell.

Photo: Craig Cross

When you’re down on the ground the campanile looks like a skyscraper but when you step out onto the balcony you’ll discover that it’s not a lot taller than the surrounding offices. All you can really see is a thin sliver of Buckingham Palace and the top half of the London Eye and Parliament.

Try and find the dome of St. Paul’s without looking at the placard – that should be relatively easy. Nelson’s Column shouldn’t be too difficult either (just follow the line of the Mall). The giant arch of Wembley Stadium is a little bit harder. And if you manage to spot the V&A and Natural History Museum without any help then you’ve done well.

Photo: Craig Cross

A word of warning about the Big Edward bell: it went off while I was up there and it was extremely loud. I don’t mind admitting that I was a little bit scared, but nobody noticed I don’t think.

Worth a visit? ★★☆Value for money? ★★☆Good for kids? ★☆☆Easy to get to? ★★★

I also recommend… If you enjoy this then try Brompton Oratory (walk it in 28 mins or travel from Victoria to South Kensington via tube); St. Paul’s Cathedral (take a tube journey from Victoria to St Pauls) and Westminster Abbey (walk it in 12 mins or travel from Victoria to Westminster by tube)

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon. This review was updated on 22nd August 2023

> Forum: London Landmarks, Attractions & Events