Model of One Bay of Choir Arcade with Choir Stalls

The Great Model had been intended not only to show everyone in general what St Paul's was to be like, but as a clear and unambiguous guide to the builders in particular. It would have been particularly useful if the architect had died young; on the other hand Wren could have found it an embarrassment if eh wished to change his mind as work progressed.

his decision to make no new model left drawings on paper as the only evidence of his intentions. The secrecy suited him, and the London public were almost totally in the dark until parts of the buildings were freed of their scaffolding and dust-screens. The official set of drawings was kept under lock and key in the Clerk of Work's Office, Wren had another set, and that was probably all. Nowadays drawings, of whatever size, can easily be copied photographically, and are the chief channel of information from designer to builders. none of the surviving drawings was made for this purpose; Wren instead revived a practice used in Renaissance Italy, of using simple models of wood, or occasionally of stone. Wooden models, moulds and templates figure constantly in the building accounts. These were clearer and more durable than drawings; they could be made from odd ends of wood and re-cycled after use. This chance survivor was probably used twice, the outline indication of the choir stalls being added in the 1690s.