Monument (London)
The monument (officially: The Monument to the Great Fire of London ) on Fish Street in the center of London commemorates the great fire of 1666 . The 61 meter high Doric column , which is crowned by a viewing platform and a gilded urn , was built between 1671 and 1677 as part of the reconstruction work after the devastating fire. The structure was designed by Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren .
The height of the column of 61 meters marks the exact distance between the stand and the former bakery of Thomas Farynnor in Pudding Lane, where the fire broke out on the night of September 2, 1666. On the square base of the column there are reliefs and inscriptions that commemorate the fire that destroyed four fifths of central London within four days, including the old St Paul's Cathedral .
The monument is open to the public: a spiral staircase in its interior leads with 311 steps to a platform below the urn, which offers a view over large parts of London . Every visitor who has climbed the 311 steps receives a certificate with their name after the descent, on which the history and significance of the building are explained. The viewing platform was enclosed in a cage in the mid-19th century to prevent suicides . Between 1788 and 1842 a total of six people fell from the monument to their death.
In addition, the monument served as a scientific instrument. The shaft was used as a zenith telescope . In addition, gravity and pendulum experiments were carried out. Below the column is an underground laboratory. However, due to the tremors in the area, scientific life in the monument was short-lived.
The Monument underground station , located in the immediate vicinity, is named after the monument .
After the restoration of the tower, which took one and a half years , the viewing platform has been accessible again since the beginning of 2009. The construction work had cost £ 4.5 million. According to press reports, it is the tallest free-standing stone column in the world. This tower is a good nine meters higher than the Nelson's column, which is more popular with tourists .
literature
- Matthew F. Walker: The Limits of Collaboration: Robert Hooke, Christopher Wren and the Designing of the Monument to the Great Fire of London . In: Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London . 2011, doi : 10.1098 / rsnr.2010.0092 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ The Monument, London. Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
- ↑ Süddeutsche Zeitung of February 21, 2009 p. 14.
- ↑ Nelson's Column is 16ft shorter than everybody thought. Daily Telegraph , July 12, 2006 (Height of Nelson's Column 169 ft 5 in = 51.66 meters).
Coordinates: 51 ° 30 ′ 36 ″ N , 0 ° 5 ′ 10 ″ W.