The Monument will be closed for major refurbishment from
30 July 2007 and is due to re-open early 2009.
Follow
the refurbishment progess on the project website.
Built to commemorate the Great Fire which devastated the City of
London in 1666, the Monument offers panoramic views over London.
Standing 202 feet high, the Monument is the tallest isolated
stone column in the world. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and
Robert Hooke and constructed of Portland stone in 1671-7, the
simple Doric column is topped by a flaming urn of copper
symbolising the Great Fire. Climb the spiral staircase of 311 steps
to the balcony at the top and you are rewarded with breathtaking
views over the city in all directions, as well as a certificate of
achievement.
The Monument, which is maintained by the City of London at its own
expense, is open to the public every day from 9.30am-5.30pm (last
admission 5.00pm). Admission costs £2.00 per adult and £1.00 per
child (under 16). Joint tickets with
Tower
Bridge for £6.50 and £3.50 respectively are also available. The
nearest underground station is Monument. Tel 020 7626 2717.
The Latin inscription on the north
panel of the pedestal translates as "In the year of Christ
1666, on 2 September, at a distance eastward from this place
of 202 ft, which is the height of this column, a fire broke
out in the dead of night which, the wind blowing, devoured
even distant buildings, and rushed devastating through every
quarter with astonishing swiftness and noise ... On the third
day ... at the bidding, we may well believe, of heaven, the
fire stayed its course and everywhere died out."