When I was a child, I can recall the nursery rhyme song “London’s burning”. The lyrics were a simple four lines, repeated over and over again.
It went like so:
“London’s burning, London’s burning
Fetch the engines, Fetch the engines.
Fire, Fire! Fire, Fire!
Pour on water, Pour on water.”
At the time, I had no idea of the significance of the song and rhyme, or what it related to. I possibly got taught about the Great Fire of London, but probably didn’t pay much interest in it, as I wasn’t much into history at that stage in my life.
Whilst living in London recently, I was aware of Monument in central London; a huge column stood down a side street, on the Northern end of London Bridge. Up until recently, I just saw it as a monument. However, when I was writing about great free views of London, I realised that you can also get great views of London, for next to nothing, from the top of the monument!
The Monument to the Great Fire of London (to give it, its proper title), was completed in 1671 to commemorate the Great Fire of London, which broke out on Sunday 2nd September, at a bakery on Pudding Lane, and spread rapidly. The fire burned for 3 days. It is estimated that 70,000 homes were destroyed, out of 80,000. Records on the death toll are unknown, only six were officially recorded.
The monument is 202 feet tall, and stands 202 feet away from where the fire broke out in Pudding Lane. The column is the tallest, isolated stone column in the World. Inscribed into the stone work is information on the Monument, and the Great Fire, as well inscriptions in Latin.
311 steps up a narrow and spiral staircase will lead you to the top.
The Monument to the Great Fire of London, is on the corner of Monument and Fish Hill Streets, almost opposite Monument underground station (on the District and Circle lines). Exit the station and turn right, you can’t miss it. There are currently some building works going on beside it, but monument is open for business.
I was really surprised by how little the price of this attraction was. The cost of getting up to the top of Monument for an adult, is £4 (that is about the cost of a few cups of coffee!) A child ticket will cost £2. If you are under 13, you must be accompanied by an adult. There are also joint tickets, with Tower Bridge, at £10.50/£4.70 (adults/children). Tickets must be paid for by cash only (no credit/debit cards accepted), but there is an ATM not far from the Monument if you’ve ran out of cash.
After climbing the 311 steps to the top, I arrived warm and a little tired – the spiral staircase was a challenge, but I often got to stop to allow for people on the way down to pass me.
The viewing platform is somewhat small, so if there are a number of people at the top (and there will be on public holidays or weekends), it can feel a little claustrophobic.
There is a safety wiring all the way around the viewing platform, but you can still capture great views.
- Wear good shoes – 311 steps doesn’t sound like much, but it is quite a climb.
- Bring layers – you won’t need a jacket to climb up, but it can get windy at the top, so you’ll need it then
- Get there on time – the last admission for the months of April to September is 5.30pm
Other things to do whilst you are in the area
Once you’re done at Monument, you could take a short stroll (approximately 10 minutes) towards St Paul’s Cathedral. The courtyard area is a great spot for having lunch in the sun.
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