Nelson's Column

Nelson's Column is a famous monument in Trafalgar Square in Central London, England. It was built to remember Horatio Nelson, a great British Royal Navy officer. Nelson won an important battle called the Battle of Trafalgar against the French and Spanish navies, but he was sadly killed during the fight.

The column was built between 1840 and 1843 and stands very tall at 169 feet and 3 inches. On top of the column is a statue of Nelson, and around the base are four big bronze lions. The pedestal of the column has beautiful bronze pictures showing important moments from Nelson’s battles.

The monument was carefully repaired in 2006, and people discovered it was a little shorter than they thought. Even though Nelson was only about 5 feet 6 inches tall when he lived, the statue of him on the column is more than 17 feet tall, making him look much bigger.

Construction and history

In 1838, a group of important people decided to build a monument to honor Lord Nelson. They chose Trafalgar Square, in front of the National Gallery, as the place for it. They held a contest to pick the best design, and William Railton won with his idea for a tall column with a statue of Nelson on top and four lions around it.

Construction started in 1840, but it went slowly. The builders ran out of money, so the government helped finish it. The tall column was made from strong granite and stands with a statue of Nelson at the top. Even though building took many years, the monument was finished and became a famous landmark.

Lions

The four bronze Barbary lions at the base of Nelson's Column were added later, in 1867. Originally, they were planned to be made of granite, but the artist chosen for that work decided not to continue.

Another artist, Thomas Milnes, made models for the lions, but his work was not accepted. These models were later bought by a mill owner, Sir Titus Salt, for a building in his village.

Finally, the lions were designed by the famous artist Sir Edwin Landseer together with Carlo Marochetti. Landseer studied real lions to help with the design.

The lions were put in place in 1867. In later years, people climbing on the lions caused damage, and it was suggested that visitors should not climb them anymore.

Refurbishment

The column was renovated and cleaned in 1968 using sandblasting.

In 2006, the column was refurbished and covered with scaffolding from top to bottom. Steam cleaning and gentle abrasives were used to protect the bronze and stonework. The cost of £420,000 was covered by Zurich Financial Services, which advertised on the scaffolding during the work. Before the restoration, laser surveys showed that the column was shorter than commonly believed. It measures 169 feet (51.5 meters) from the bottom of the first step to the tip of the admiral's hat.

Publicity stunts and protests

In 1977, a TV host from a children's show climbed the column for fun. Another TV host did the same thing in 1989 to remember a special ceremony from long ago.

People have climbed the column many times to share important messages. In 1978, someone climbed it to speak out against unfair treatment. In 1988 and 1992, activists climbed it to talk about taking care of our planet. In 1995, climbers used the column to help share the story of people living in Canada. In 1998, they climbed again to talk about protecting forests. In 2003, someone jumped from the top to talk about a place far away.

In 2015, a movie company lit up the column to look like a famous movie weapon. In 2016, activists placed a mask on the top to talk about cleaning the air.

Other monuments to Nelson

Main article: Monuments and memorials to Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson

Many places around the world have monuments to honor Horatio Nelson. The first was built in Glasgow, Scotland in 1806. It is a tall stone column called the Nelson Monument. Another tall tower called Nelson’s Tower was started in Forres, Moray in 1806 and finished in 1812. There is also a Nelson Monument on Calton Hill in Edinburgh. In Dublin, Ireland, a tall column called Nelson’s Pillar was built in 1808 but was taken down in 1966. In Birmingham, England, there is a bronze statue of Nelson from 1809. There are also monuments in Liverpool, Portsmouth, Hereford, and Great Yarmouth in England.

There are monuments to Nelson outside of the United Kingdom as well. In Montreal, Canada, a column was erected in 1809 by people from Britain and Canada. There is also a Mount Nelson near Invermere, British Columbia. In Bridgetown, Barbados, there is a statue of Nelson that is older than the famous one in London’s Trafalgar Square.