People often ask why the huge east door onto the piazza doesn't open. It was originally intended to be the main entrance, but tradition demanded that the altar be placed at the east end. So the portico door is actually a fake and the church is entered from a little graveyard off Bedford Street.
Among those buried at the church are Grinling Gibbons (Master Carver of the late 17th/early 18th century) and the pulpit is said to be his work. Also buried here is Margaret Ponteous, the first known victim of the Great Plague.
St Paul's is widely known as the Actors' Church and has been associated with local theatres since it was built. Memorials in the church are dedicated to many famous actors, including Charlie Chaplin and Noel Coward.