If you’re walking through the City of London and look up near the Fish Street Hill area, you’ll see it. A massive, fluted Doric column made of Portland stone, topped with a gilded urn of fire. Most folks just call it The Monument to the Great Fire of London, or even just "The Monument." It’s been standing there since 1677. It’s tall. It’s heavy. And honestly, it’s one of the weirdest scientific instruments ever built, even if most tourists just think it’s a cool place to get a leg workout.
Did you know the height of the column is exactly 202 feet? That isn't a random number. If you laid the column down flat, heading east, the tip would point exactly to where the fire started in 1666—Thomas Farriner’s bakery on Pudding Lane.
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What Really Happened at the Monument to the Great Fire of London
We’re taught in school that the fire was basically a kitchen mishap. A baker forgot to put out his oven. The city burned. End of story. But the Monument to the Great Fire of London tells a much more political and angry story if you actually read the Latin inscriptions on the base. Back in the day, Londoners weren't just sad; they were furious and looking for someone to blame.
For a long time, the inscriptions actually blamed "Popish frenzy" (Catholics) for the fire. It was basically a massive, stone conspiracy theory. These words were only chiseled away in 1830 when people finally decided to be a bit more sensible about the whole thing. Sir Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke, the guys who designed it, had a lot more on their minds than just a memorial. They were scientists first.
It’s Secretly a Giant Telescope
This is the part that usually blows people’s minds. Robert Hooke—who was arguably as smart as Isaac Newton but way more of a grump—wanted the Monument to the Great Fire of London to serve as a massive vertical zenith telescope.
The center of the column is hollow. He wanted to use it to observe the stars and prove the Earth moved around the sun. He even left a circular opening in the "flaming" urn at the very top so he could look straight up. There’s a laboratory hidden in the basement, too. But there was a problem. The Monument is right next to a busy road. Even in the 1670s, the vibration from passing carts made the stone shake just enough that Hooke couldn't get a steady image.
The experiment failed.
So, this 202-foot giant became just a monument. A very expensive, very beautiful, slightly shaky monument.
The Climb: 311 Steps of Regret and Glory
If you decide to go inside, you’re committing to 311 narrow, winding stone steps. There is no elevator. There is no air conditioning. It’s tight. If you’re claustrophobic, you’re gonna have a bad time. But the view from the top is one of the few places in London where you can see the mix of ancient churches and glass skyscrapers like the "Walkie-Talkie" without paying twenty quid for a cocktail.
When you reach the top, they give you a little certificate. It’s a bit cheesy, sure. But after your quads have been screaming for ten minutes, that little piece of paper feels like an Olympic gold medal.
Why the Iron Cage is There
You’ll notice the viewing platform is encased in a big iron cage. It wasn't always like that. Between 1788 and 1842, six people actually jumped off the top. The city got tired of the bad PR and the tragedy, so they "caged" the gallery. It changes the vibe a bit, but honestly, it makes you feel a lot safer when the wind starts whipping around at that height.
The Architecture Nobody Notices
Christopher Wren gets all the credit for the Monument to the Great Fire of London, but it was really a tag-team effort with Hooke. They argued about everything. Wren wanted a statue of King Charles II on top. Hooke wanted the telescope. The "Flaming Urn" was the compromise.
Look closely at the relief on the west side of the pedestal. It’s a weirdly dramatic scene. You’ve got King Charles II dressed like a Roman Emperor, looking down at a depressed-looking woman who represents London. She’s sitting in the ruins. Behind the King are "Liberty," "Architecture," and "Science." It’s pure 17th-century propaganda. It’s the King saying, "Don't worry, I've got this," even though at the time of the fire, he was mostly worried about the palace and his own skin.
The Myth of the "Only Death"
There’s a common factoid that only six people died in the Great Fire. That's almost certainly total nonsense. Those six deaths were just the people wealthy enough or "important" enough to be recorded. The heat was so intense—reaching over 1,200 degrees Celsius—that it would have cremated many victims instantly, leaving nothing behind but ash that would’ve been swept away into the Thames. The Monument to the Great Fire of London stands as a marker for those unnamed thousands just as much as it does for the city’s skyline.
Practical Steps for Your Visit
If you're actually going to go, don't just wing it. London weather and crowds are fickle.
- Check the Wind: If it’s a gale outside, the top of the Monument is bracing, to say the least. It can be genuinely scary if you aren't used to heights.
- Go Early: It opens at 9:30 AM usually. By noon, the spiral staircase becomes a two-way traffic jam of sweaty tourists.
- Wear Real Shoes: This isn't the place for flip-flops or heels. The stone steps are worn down and can be slick if it's been raining (which, let's be real, it's London).
- Combine Your Trip: You’re a five-minute walk from the Tower of London and St. Magnus-the-Martyr. St. Magnus is actually where the old London Bridge used to start, and it has a piece of wood from a Roman wharf inside.
- Look for the Gold: The "flame" at the top is made of gilded copper. When the sun hits it right, it looks like it’s actually burning. It’s the best photo op from the ground.
Don't just walk past it on your way to London Bridge. Stop. Read the base. Think about Robert Hooke trying to look at the stars through a giant stone tube while wagons rattled past. It’s a weird, stubborn piece of history that survived the Blitz and the modernization of the City. It’s the tallest isolated stone column in the world, and it’s earned its spot on the pavement.
Actionable Insight for Your Visit:
Before you go, download a "London Great Fire" map app or print a PDF that shows the fire's perimeter. Start at the Monument, climb it to see the scale of the City, and then walk the three minutes to Pudding Lane. Seeing how small the street is compared to the massive column really puts the claustrophobia of 1666 London into perspective. If you have any heart conditions or mobility issues, skip the climb and spend your time studying the relief carving on the pedestal—it’s free to look at and contains more history than the view itself.