311 steps of The Monument
A certificate given to you after exiting the monument
Did you know that you can climb the column of The Monument? I didn’t, until I began doing some research on hidden or lesser known places of London. It all began when I wanted to plan a walk for my friend, where London was merged with history of old and new. That is why I wanted to take her to the streets where it all began. I am talking about the Great Fire of London in 1666. When on a Sunday 2nd September a day no different from the rest, a fire broke out on Pudding Lane that devastated London. Many people lost their homes, thankfully not many their lives. The monument you see in the illustration above was erected after the fire which began at Pudding Lane, to commemorate both an end and a new beginning of London. Many buildings and architectural structures that we see today have been designed by Sir Christofer Wren, as well as designing the new St. Pauls with the help of other architects, he also designed The Monument.
I should have done better research before our walk as upon approaching The Monument I saw a board with opening times, at which point we realised that you could actually climb up the column. Looking up at it, I was sceptical that a human could fit inside let alone an entire staircase.
If you want to read the history of The Monument click on the image below.
I will split this recount into two and stay true to its chronological order, as there is a wonderful secret garden I would like to mention that is in the same area as The Monument. Located close to the river Thames between Idol Lane and St. Dunstan’s Hill is a triangular garden that has been skilfully and cleverly designed around the old ruins of St. Dunstan in the East Church. This area is now mainly surrounded by modern buildings of glass and concrete so when you turn a corner and finally see the garden oasis within the church, it simply takes your breath away. The ruins are what remains of the church, the four walls with windows in the gothic style as well as a spire, which looks like it is still in use. The garden is inside of what used to be the active part of the church. Now there are plants and flowers all around, with benches placed all comfortably so people may take a respite or meditate, as surprisingly for central London, this is rather a quiet place. It is very much an inviting place and gives you a sense of tranquil calm, which in our modern fast paced lives can only be welcome.
St. Dunstan of the East Church Garden
And now to go back to The Monument. The time that I will describe next happened this summer and I was acting as a tourist myself while admiring the city with my godfather’s daughter, who came to visit London for the very first time and I was very eager for her to fall in love with this city as much as I have been. I am happy to report that she has had a wonderful time in the UK, I only hope to see her here soon again.
Meetig outside the exit of the Tower of London, we made our way towards the east for a walk about old London. I only mentioned to walk past The Monument, just to see it in person and what it stands for. I’d forgotten of course that you could climb the stairs up to the observing deck. It was a happy surprise that we encountered as we reached the place. It didn’t take us long to decide to walk up to it’s highest point. A small fee was charged and we entered inside The Monument. Inside was an adorable kiosk built-in where tickets are sold as well as a few souvenirs and memorabilia. Next to it was a plush round seat which was attached to the wall and pushed against it to free up some room for walking, it was so tiny and adorable. As soon as you entered everything was already incredibly narrow. And so the ascend began. The stairs are long and winding, you could not predict at which point you would encounter a person going down as you were going up. If this did happen, surprisingly there was enough room for both people to pass each other without fear of injury or falling over. Although as you went higher and higher the stairs did become narrower, quite claustrophobically narrower, thankfully however at this point you could already see the light from the open door out towards the panoramic view. Your efforts have not been in vain, those jelly feat have yet to take you down but they brought you up to this amazing vista of London. Even though it may not be the tallest structure by far, you can imagine what it must have been like to contemporary visitors. I should have liked for the old London Bridge to have survived time, so that we could admire the buildings as you were crossing the bridge. That great engineering feat quite astounds me.
After a few minutes up there being windswept and taken enough photographs as evidence, it was time for us to make our way downstairs. Now you would think that going downstairs may be easier, but don’t forget your legs are still a little shaky from going up and now you also had to steady yourself from fear of getting dizzy. The decent was faster, naturally, but it also made your head spin from seeing the never ending spiral of the stairs. You have to keep reminding yourself to not skip a beat, also known as a step.
At the end of your ordeal you are rewarded with a certificate which I have added above, to which you can add your name should you wish to and a frame if you feel so inclined.
This concludes my experience walking The Monument. I really would recommend to anyone who can to climb up the stairs, to venture up and see the view for yourselves. The ascend was quite spectacular and will stay with me in my memories for a long time, and I don’t mean that it was very difficult, what I mean to say is that the idea that you are inside a column when it is dimly lit and narrow, it sets quite the scene. Go see for yourself, you won’t be disappointed.
Open Daily 9:30 - 18:00
