Where: Corner of Fish Street Hill and Monument Street in the City of London.
What: The Monument purports to be the largest free-standing column in the world. It certainly felt like it, as I climbed the 311 steps to the viewing platform. The structure has been under repair for a year and a half, and finally reopened last Monday. Waving vague press credentials, I managed to get into the tower before the general public, and became the second person to reach the top (someone even keener than me practically sprinted to the summit).
The column was constructed in the 1670s to commemorate the Great Fire of London and celebrate the city’s revival. Its architects were Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, famous men of the Royal Society who had so much more in mind than creating an eyecatching memorial. Monument was designed to act as a zenith telescope and laboratory. Hooke hoped to use the column to measure the changes in the position of a star directly overhead throughout the year. Such angular measurements might be used to calculate the radius of the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Unfortunately, the deviations Hooke was looking for are minute, and vibrations from passing traffic and wind sway reduced the precision of the tower, scuppering the experiments. However, the 60 metrre stairwell was perfect for investigations of pendulums and falling objects. In addition, each step of the spiral staircase is exactly six inches high to assist measurements of barometric pressure.
Although Monument is now crowded out by taller buildings, the view from the top remains impressive. The architecture is also novel. The large Greek column is internally illuminated through distinctly medieval-looking arrow-slit windows. At the top, a curvey modern cage protects visitors from the precipitous drop, while the surmounting orb of gold wouldn’t look out of place on an overstated Victorian memorial. It’s good to see this blending of science, heritage and architecture accesible to the public once again.
Monument is now open daily 9.30-5.30. Those with strong legs can climb to the top for just £3, which includes a certificate of achievement upon exit.