What Are Those Random Words Dotted Around St Paul's All About?

Harry Rosehill
By Harry Rosehill Last edited 51 months ago

Last Updated 12 February 2020

What Are Those Random Words Dotted Around St Paul's All About?
Sculpture outside St Paul's saying 'What'

'what'.

That's all this sculpture plonked down on Peter's Hill says. It looks like the statement of a disgruntled teenager — like a pissed off text they might send, no capitalisation and all. But then walk up towards St Paul's and things start to make sense.

Are in front of St Paul's

Another word. This time 'are' and in the distance, there are yet more gold letters to hunt down. The game is afoot!

You might at this stage be wondering what this is all about. Well, it's a fun trail from Culture Mile and you'd know that if you looked at the base upon which the words sit. But less of that right now, we've got a trail to complete!

If you've brushed up on your modernist literature, you might start recognising this quote any minute now...

Put that all together and what do you get?

'What are you going to meet if you turn this corner?'

It's a quote from Virginia Woolf's novel, Jacob's Room, and is about the secrets that hide around every corner in London. Culture Mile commissioned KHBT to create the series, and use it as a wayfinding tool for all the different things to do and see in the City.

We heartily recommend just spending 20 minutes following the trail, it's an unusual but rewarding way to spend a lunchtime in the City.