The Monument is one of the most stunning London sights. It is a soaring column of stone, reaching high into the air near the northern end of London Bridge. It was built to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666, and towers at 202 feet tall, the world’s largest freestanding stone column.

It reopened in February 2009 after renovations.

The Great Fire of London destroyed almost the entire city, sparing only those buildings made of stone. When the rebuilding commenced, it was decided a monument marking the tragic event should be erected, in part to celebrate the rebuilding effort taking place. It was built between 1671 and 1677 at a cost of about £13,450.

The Monument itself is a gigantic Doric column designed by Sir Christopher Wren. A phoenix rising from the ashes was his first choice for a top ornament, but it was eventually decided a flaming urn would cap the column. There are inscriptions at the base describing its building, how the Great Fire was started, and how it was extinguished.

The height of the structure is no random number; it is actually the distance from The Monument to the baker’s shop in Pudding Lane where the fire is thought to have started.

The Monument was originally designed to be used for scientific studies, such as pendulum and gravity experiments, but it was found that the vibrations from traffic were too much interference.

Steps lead from the base to an observation platform at the top of the column, allowing climbers an opportunity to scale the heights and get a wonderful panoramic view of London below. Certificates are issued to those hardy souls who make the trip.

The observation area was enclosed in an iron cage in the 19th century after 6 people committed suicide by jumping from the spot.

Every century or so, The Monument gets a face lift, the most recent started in 2007 and took until February 2009 at a cost of £4.5 million. One of the upgrades added was a panoramic camera, giving real time images of the magnificent view from the top.

Now you don’t have to climb one of the most rewarding London sights to get a glimpse of the world.

Visiting The Monument

Monument Street, City, EC3R 8AH

Telephone: 020 7626 2717

Email enquiries@towerbridge.org.uk

Opening Times

9:30-5.30pm Daily, last admission 5pm

Ticket Prices

£3 (Adults), £2.50 (Concessions), £1 (Children) | Combined with Tower Bridge Exhibition £8 (Adults), £5.50 (Concessions), £3 (Children)

Photo courtesy: celesteh

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