The Monument, a tall stone tower in the City of London you can climb up and commemorates the Great Fire of London is reopening following its pandemic closure.
The 202 feet tall stone column, designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Dr Robert Hooke stands on the piazza between Fish Street Hill and Monument Street – roughly 202 feet from where the fire originally started.
To go in the Monument is to climb up 311 stone steps, occasionally squeezing past people coming back down, and up to a walkway at the very top with fine views across this part of London. Currently, it will open only at weekends, and during school holidays from 9:30am to 6pm (last admission 5:15pm). Entry is £5.40 for adults and £2.70 for children, pay at the entrance.
Everyone who makes the climb is awarded a certificate to mark the occasion.
As there’s very limited space inside, visitors will be admitted at 30-minute intervals so there may be a short wait until you are allowed entry.
You can find the Monument at the north end of London Bridge, next to Monument tube station.
Apart from being a visitor attraction, the Monument was built with a second purpose: to also be the site for scientific experiments. Hidden beneath The Monument is a tiny laboratory from where the column was once used as a giant zenith telescope. This plan was soon abandoned as the surrounding area was too busy, but look behind the visitor desk and you’ll see a small wooden door. This leads to the underground chamber for the observation equipment.
