Life in London

LondonLife: Guide to London: Monument

The Monument, full name - The Monument to The Great Fire of London, was once the world’s tallest freestanding column, in the heart of London’s City, EC3. Standing tall, and at a slight angle, on the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill, at the north end of London Bridge. It commemorates the Great Fire of London in 1666, the destruction of medieval wood built London (as well as thousands of rats who had plagued the city before) and the change and hope of London being rebuilt.

The column is 61.57 meters high, the exact distance between its location and the actual site in Pudding Lane where the fire began. The height makes a fantastic destination to get a panoramic view of London City (especially on a clear day). The top is reached by climbing the 311 steps of the narrow (especially at the top) stairwell. The cage, now mesh added at the top is to prevent people killing themselves by jumping off back in the mid 19th century.

It dates back to 1671 and was completed in 1677 by King Charles II’s Surveyor General Sir Christopher Wren, helped by his colleague Dr Robert Hooke. They originally planned it for dual use; Heritage and Scientific, conducting various experiment on gravity at the top and at the room at the bottom. However, traffic noise and vibrations disrupted this and soon after was designated sole use as being historic.

The Doric column is built of Portland Stone and the copper drum and gilded copper urn with flames coming out represent the Great Fire give the London landmark its height. The subscriptions (mostly in Latin) on the bottom describe the actions taken by King Charles II after the fire, how the monument was built, and one stating how the fire started as well as how it was extinguished (generally blaming the Roman Catholics and so was chiseled out in 1831).

During the £4.5million refurbishments, when Monument closed for 18 months (June 2007 to February 2009) a 360 degree panoramic camera was installed, another part of London’s Big Brother society. This refurbishment was so well done, preserving London’s living history. The damage to the iron railings around the base are a legacy from the raids of the Second World War.