Nelson's Column

Lord Nelson at the top of the column that bears his name

Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square, London, England.

Origins and design

The column was built between 1840 and 1843 to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The 5.5 m (18 ft) statue of Nelson stands on top of a 46 m (151 ft) granite column. The statue faces south, towards the Palace of Westminster and along Pall Mall, where his ships are represented on the top of each flagpole. The top of the Corinthian column (based on one from the Temple of Mars Ultor in Rome) is decorated with bronze acanthus leaves cast from British cannons. The square pedestal is decorated with four bronze panels, cast from captured French guns, depicting Nelson's four great victories.

The monument was designed by architect William Railton in 1838, and built by the firm Peto & Grissell. Railton's original 1:22-scale stone model is exhibited at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London. The sandstone statue at the top was sculpted by E.H. Baily, a member of the Royal Academy; a small bronze plaque crediting him is at the base of the statue. The four bronze panels around the pedestal were undertaken by the sculptors Musgrave Watson, John Ternouth, William F Woodington, and John Edward Carew. The entire monument was built at a cost of 47,500 pounds, or 3.5 million pounds in 2004 terms (roughly $6.1 million US).

Lord Nelson, atop the column.

The four lions, by Sir Edwin Landseer, at the column's base were added in 1867.

20th century

In 1925 a Scottish confidence trickster, Arthur Ferguson, "sold" the famous landmark to an unknowing American tourist for £6,000 claiming it was for sale to pay off Britain's war loan to the United States. (He also sold Big Ben and Buckingham Palace)

The Column's symbolical importance is reflected in Hitler's plans for it. If Operation Sealion, Hitler's plan to invade Britain, had worked, he intended to move the Column to Berlin.

Recent history

In May 2003 BASE jumper and stuntman Gary Connery parachuted from the top of the column to draw attention to the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

The column was refurbished in 2006. It was scaffolded from top to bottom for access. Steam cleaning was used together with gentle abrasives to minimise any harmful impact on the brass and stonework. The work was performed by David Ball Restoration Ltd. of Peckham, South London, which also handles maintenance for about 60 other monuments around London. The £420,000 cost was met by Zurich Financial Services, which advertised on the scaffolding for the duration of the work. Before restoration began, laser surveys were taken during which it was found that the column was significantly shorter than the usually quoted 56 m [185 ft]. In fact, it is only 50 m [169 ft 5 in] from the bottom of the first step on the pedestal to the tip of the admiral's hat.[1][2]

Other monuments to Nelson

• In the Bull Ring, Birmingham, England, there is a Grade II* listed bronze statue of Nelson by Richard Westmacott, dating from 1809.
• In Dublin, Ireland, Nelson's Pillar, was erected in 1808 and destroyed by the IRA in 1966.
• In Edinburgh, Scotland, Nelson's Monument is a tower commemorating Admiral Horatio Nelson, on top of Calton Hill
• In Montreal, Quebec, is a Nelson column at Place Jacques-Cartier erected by the merchants of the city in 1808.
• A column, topped with a decorative urn, in the Castle Green, Hereford. A statue was planned in place of the urn but insufficient money was raised. BBC site with photograph.
• The Britannia Monument, Great Yarmouth, England (1819) is a 144 feet high doric column design.
• A much shorter Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, Bridgetown, Barbados is believed to be older than its taller and famous counterpart in London.
• Nelson's Tower in Forres, Morayshire

Nelson's four victories

• Battle of Trafalgar
• Battle of the Nile
• Battle of Copenhagen
• Battle of Cape St. Vincent

Gallery

• 
  General view of Nelson's Column.
• 
  East face of the plinth, depicting the Battle of Cape St Vincent by Musgrave Watson
• 
  North side of the plinth, depicting the Death of Nelson, by John Edward Carew
• 
  Sir Edwin Landseer's Lions guarding the outside diagonals of Nelson's Column

External links

• Lofty Admiral Nelson Gets Face-Lift - From IOL South Africa/Agence France-Presse, 7 May 2006
• Nelson's broken arm to be X-rayed - From BBC News, 26 April 2006
• Web cam of Trafalgar Square including Nelson's Column
• John Timbs, Curiosities of London, 1867 [3]
• Nelson's Column is 16 ft shorter than everybody thought - From The Daily Telegraph, 12 July 2006

51°30′27.8″N 0°07′40.7″W