Born East Knoyle, Wiltshire, died London.
Designer of 54 London churches, of which 13 were destroyed in the Blitz. Part of one of his churches, St Antholin, has ended up in an unexpected location.
Not just an architect. Wren produced some drawings of the anatomy of the brain for a book published by Thomas Willis in 1664. Using a method he devised himself he preserved and drew the specimens producing images that are described as the first modern images of brain anatomy.
Wren invested in the slave trading Royal Africa Company.
2022: Matt at Londonist has triumphed again: a map of Wren's London buildings, for all you Wrenologists out there.
