Monuments & Ruins

Not every statue in London. The ones worth crossing the road for: Roman wall, medieval ruins, and the monuments that earn a detour.

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Duke of York Column

The Grand Old Duke of York, on a column paid for by docking every soldier a day's wages.

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Photo by Man vyi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Prince Frederick, second son of George III, commander-in-chief of the army and the duke of the nursery rhyme, died in 1827 owing a fortune, and the column was raised in 1834 by stopping a day's pay from every officer and man. It is thirty-eight metres of pink Aberdeen granite with a bronze duke by Westmacott on top, and the joke at the time was that he had been put up there to keep out of reach of his creditors. There is a staircase inside, closed to the public since the 1950s. It looks straight down the Duke of York Steps to St James's Park.

Where
Waterloo Place, SW1Y 5AG
Nearest station
Charing Cross · 5 min walk

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Data is compiled from public sources including OpenStreetMap, under the ODbL. Hours change often, so check before making a journey.

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