The Monument To The Great Fire Of London Commemorating The Great Fire Of London, It Stands At The Junction Of Monument Street And Editorial Photo

It was built on the site of St Margaret, New Fish Street, the first church to be destroyed by the Great Fire. It is Grade I listed and is a scheduled monument. The Monument comprises a fluted Doric column built of Portland stone topped with a gilded urn of fire. It was designed by Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke. Its height marks its distance from the site of the shop of Thomas Farriner or Farynor, the king`s baker, where the blaze began. The viewing platform near the top of the Monument is reached by a narrow winding staircase of 311 steps. A mesh cage was added in the mid-19th century to prevent people jumping to the ground, after six people had committed suicide there. It has a central shaft meant for use as a zenith telescope and for use in gravity and pendulum experiments that connects to an underground laboratory for observers to work