Climbing “The Monument” in London

“Built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the city” (Monument Info Website), the Monument is an important structure in the city of London. I’ve always been fascinated by The Great Fire and its role in London’s history. 1/3 of the city and 100,000 homes were destroyed in 1666 when the fire spread quickly damaging everything in its path.  This monument symbolized London’s effort to both memorialize but also promote the idea that the city could be restored and more alive than ever after that devastation.

A towering stone structure,  it is on the north side of the Thames river near to London Bridge and measures a little over 200 feet.  Not that high in today’s standards, but quite a spectacle if you can visualize what it must have looked like to the residents of London 300 years ago.

Inside is a winding, dizzying stairway and for 3 pounds or approximately $5  you can climb up the 311 steps to see the view.

From the moment it was complete, the monument has been a famous London landmark. But in the past, I imagine it was one of the taller structures and stood out within the city skyline.  You could probably see it from miles away. Today, you may not even notice it until you are in the city of London, almost about to cross over London Bridge to the south side of the river.  All of a sudden you turn your head, look across what seems like a small alley way and there it is!

At the top of 311 narrow steps, (and what I’m sure will test the real strength of my leg muscles….time will tell tomorrow), I took in the view from every direction.

What stood out the most were cranes everywhere….and lots of construction. London’s city skyline seems to be changing on a daily basis.

Looking north from the Monument, you see this view above. The building closest is 20 Fenchurch Street, which has been called “The Walkie-Talkie” (the Guardian article from December 2012 describes it in more detail), or as Jim calls it, the Guinness Pint glass.

To the SouthEast, the Tower Bridge and the modern City hall building off to the right of the frame.  From the city hall building and extending eastward (behind the Tower Bridge in this above picture) is our neighborhood in London, difficult to see from this picture but I loved looking out in that direction this afternoon and really feeling like I know and understand the geography of the city.

To the NorthWest, a glimpse of St. Paul’s in the left side of the picture.

Finally, the view to the South, where the Shard Building, the tallest building in Western Europe at 1,016 feet, now takes center stage in the London skyline.  On this Friday, February 1st, Jim and I have tickets (tickets that were in very high demand and that we had to purchase one year ago!) to go to the 70th floor viewing area of the Shard building for the grand opening. Look out for my post next week where I expect to capture some amazing pictures of London from even higher above…though good news is that will not involve climbing any steps!!