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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The Monument

Wren's column to the Great Fire, 311 steps up, and secretly a scientific instrument.

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Photo by Eluveitie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also in Science & Engineering.

Wren and Robert Hooke built it between 1671 and 1677, sixty-one metres high because that is the distance from its base to the bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire began. It is the tallest freestanding stone column in the world and it was also designed to be a laboratory: the shaft is hollow so Hooke could hang a pendulum in it and use it as a zenith telescope, and there is a lab in the basement. Traffic vibration ruined that idea. The view from the cage at the top takes in the river and the whole City. A ticket is seven pounds.

Where
Fish Street Hill, EC3R 8AH
Nearest station
Monument · 1 min walk

Hours

Monday09:30 – 18:00
Tuesday09:30 – 18:00
Wednesday09:30 – 18:00
Thursday09:30 – 18:00
Friday09:30 – 18:00
Saturday09:30 – 18:00
Sunday09:30 – 18:00

Hours from the page that lists them, checked 4 September 2026.

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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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