"It is almost at the very top of the cathedral dome, so it's an unusual view of the inside of St Paul's people seldom get to see, " says Lipinski.

BBC: Thatcher's funeral: the view from above

The president has promised the patriarch that the cathedral will be rebuilt: walls, dome and all.

ECONOMIST: UNESCO and Georgia

Lines of dome-climbers snake around the cathedral.

FORBES: Dome of the Brave

The cathedral was supposed to be crowned by a huge dome, the highest and widest ever built.

FORBES: Dome of the Brave

From the deck, tick off architectural and historical glories as you sweep past: to your right, the Monument - Sir Christopher Wren's memorial to the Great Fire of 1666 - then Wren's towering achievement, dome-hatted St Paul's Cathedral.

BBC: A perfect day in London