Photo by Black Taxi Tours of London
If you are exploring the historic City of London, The Monument is one landmark that deserves more than a passing glance. Rising 202 feet above the street, this magnificent column commemorates one of the most dramatic events in London’s history, the Great Fire of London of 1666.
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, The Monument was built between 1671 and 1677. Its height is significant: it stands exactly 202 feet from the spot in nearby Pudding Lane where the fire is traditionally believed to have started, at the bakery of Thomas Farriner.
The Great Fire began on the night of 2 September 1666 and burned for four days. More than 13,000 houses were destroyed, along with 87 parish churches and much of the medieval City of London. Yet from the devastation came an opportunity to rebuild the City, much of it under Wren’s influence.
311 steps to the top
One of the most enjoyable things about The Monument is that you can climb it. A narrow spiral staircase of 311 steps takes you to the viewing platform, where you can look across the modern City and see how dramatically London has changed.
There is also a wonderfully bizarre story connected with the Monument.
In 1814, a London fishmonger decided that a conventional advertisement was far too ordinary. Instead, he arranged for his pony to be taken up the 311 steps to the viewing platform. The animal was led around the gallery and then brought safely back down again.
It was certainly an advertisement people remembered and probably one of the more unusual journeys ever made inside a London landmark!
See The Monument as part of your London adventure
Today, The Monument provides a fascinating link between the London of 1666 and the extraordinary modern City that surrounds it. It is also ideally situated for exploring several other historic sights, including London Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Tower of London.