Christopher Wren

Dan Snow's History Hit

History Hit

History

4.7 • 12.9K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Architect, astronomer, anatomist, and genius who rebuilt London after the Great Fire —Christopher Wren. His life is nothing short of extraordinary. In this episode, Dan is joined by historian and conservationist Stephen Brindle to unravel the unexpected journey of the man best known for designing St Paul’s Cathedral, one of London's most iconic landmarks, but whose contributions spanned science and even medicine.

Produced by Mariana Des Forges and edited by Dougal Patmore.

Join Dan and the team for a LIVE recording of Dan Snow's History Hit on Friday 12th September 2025!

To celebrate 10 years of the podcast, Dan is putting on a special show of signature storytelling, never-before-heard anecdotes from his often stranger-than-fiction career as well as answering the burning questions you've always wanted to ask!

Get tickets here, before they sell out: https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/words/dan-snows-history-hit/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi folks, Dan here. I have some very, very exciting news for you.
0:04.6	To celebrate our 10th anniversary with you, we are doing a live show of Dan Snow's history,
0:09.9	hit the first for a very, very long time.
0:12.4	So please join me on Friday the 12th of September in London Town.
0:16.5	By popular demand, I'll be retelling the story of the legend Thomas Cochran,
0:20.4	the goat, greatest
0:21.2	of all time, the man who inspired the movie Master and Commander, and looking back, over 10
0:27.3	years of making this podcast, Prime Minister's Oscar winners, World War II veterans,
0:33.8	Holocaust survivors, and some of the greatest historians in the world.
0:38.2	It's a time for me to hang out with you guys and answer any burning questions you may have.
0:42.6	So don't miss it. It's going to be an epic party and there is no one I'd rather spend it with.
0:46.6	All of you, dedicated listeners.
0:48.4	You can get tickets to the link in the show notes, but hurry because they are selling fast.
0:52.1	See you there.
1:05.2	Thank you. hurry because they are selling fast. See you there. Welcome everyone. Welcome to Dan Snow's history hit. If you go to St. Paul's Cathedral in London and you stand right underneath
1:13.3	the centre of that magnificent dome, you'll find that you're standing on a circle of black marble
1:20.5	and on it is an inscription. It ends, If monumentum requires, circumspeake.
1:29.7	The full translation is,
1:33.3	Here in the foundations lies the architect of this church and city.
1:40.2	Christopher Wren, who lived beyond 90 years,
1:43.9	not for his own profit, but for the public good.
1:47.7	Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from History Hit, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of History Hit and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.