Monument to the Great Fire of London, Doric memorial column in City of London, England
The Monument to the Great Fire of London is a Doric memorial column made of Portland limestone that stands 61 meters tall at the intersection of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill in the City of London. The column has a square base with relief panels and inscriptions, and a narrow spiral staircase inside leads to the viewing platform at the top.
Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke designed the column, completed in 1677, to commemorate the fire that destroyed large parts of the city in 1666. Construction began in 1671 and took six years, with the architects choosing a design that could also serve as a scientific instrument for experiments.
The golden flame urn at the top can be seen from many points across the City and has become a familiar landmark in the streetscape. Visitors often pause on the platform to enjoy views over the rooftops and the Thames.
The spiral staircase with 311 steps is narrow and can be tiring, so visitors should allow time and wear sturdy footwear. The platform at the top offers views in all directions over the surrounding streets and buildings of the City.
The distance of 61 meters between the column and the bakery on Pudding Lane where the fire began matches exactly the height of the column itself. This mathematical relationship was part of the deliberate design by Wren and Hooke, who conceived the column as a precise spatial memorial.
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