Useful things to know before your visit
Address: The Monument, Fish Street Hill, The City EC3R 8AH. Telephone: 0207 403 3761. Website: themonument.org
How much do the tickets cost?
You can buy adults tickets from £7, and children (5-15 years) from £3. Infants under-5 are free.
What are the opening hours?
Opening times are 9.30am to 1pm, and 2pm to 6pm (Mon-Sun); Last entry is at 12.30pm and 5.30pm.
How much time do you need?
A typical visit to The Monument takes 30 to 45 minutes.
Which buses go to The Monument?
Bus routes 17, 21, 43, 48, 133, 141, 149 and 521 all stop close by.
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Monument, which connects with the Circle and District lines. It only takes a minute to walk to The Monument.
Which other attractions are nearby?
These attractions are all within 15 minutes walk of The Monument: Sky Garden, Billingsgate Roman House & Baths, Leadenhall Market, Royal Exchange, Mansion House, All Hallows-by-the-Tower, London Mithraeum, Bank of England Museum, Golden Hinde, Clink Prison Museum, Horizon 22, HMS Belfast, Old Operating Theatre, The Shard and Borough Market.
Twitter 
Facebook 
WhatsApp 
Email My review of The Monument
By the time they finally managed to get control of Thomas Farriner’s little bakery blaze in Pudding Lane the Great Fire of London had laid waste to a third of the City – 44 livery halls, 87 churches and the medieval St Paul’s had all been destroyed. Christopher Wren was then given the job of erecting a monument to both mark the disaster and celebrate the City rising from the ashes.
Because he already had his plate full rebuilding the cathedral he shared the work with his employee Robert Hooke, and they settled on a Doric column topped off with a fiery pot of bronze.
Photo: londondrum.comThe base was placed on the ashes of St Margaret’s (the first church flattened by the fire) and the top was raised up 202 feet – the exact same distance to the bakery in Pudding Lane. This spot has since been covered up with offices, but you can find a commemorative plaque if you look around the walls.
Latin engravings on the four plinths
Before you start climbing the stairs it’s worth having a quick look at the four faces of the plinth. You’ll have to know your Latin to read three of them but there’s a relief sculpture on the fourth that shows the destruction and restoration of the City under Charles II.
 |
   |
It was on the eastern side that they chiselled in the famous phrase blaming the whole thing on the Catholics – “Sed Furor Papisticus Qui Tamdiu Patravit Nondum Restingvitur” (but Popish frenzy, which wrought such horrors, is not yet quenched). This was rubbed out in 1830 after the Catholic Emancipation.
Climbing up the spiral staircase
When you’re ready to tackle the stairs enter the little cubbyhole at the front and pay your money to the lady, then see how far you can get without a taking a rest. After a few minutes my legs were like jelly and my heart was pounding loud enough to make a sound. There are a few slit windows to lean against as you climb up the column, but they get fewer and fewer as it tightens up towards the top.
Photo: londondrum.comIt wouldn’t be quite so bad if it was all one-way traffic but you frequently have to hug the wall to allow a descending stream of sightseers to squeeze past. You can hear each other’s footsteps coming from a couple of spirals away, and as soon as they know you’re there they’ll quickly hog the wide part and make you to tiptoe round the narrow bit. Towards the top of the column there’s barely enough room for two people to pass and I was worried that if I stumbled then down I’d go, like a marble in Kerplunk, bouncing down to the bottom until I was just a skin-bag full of dust.
Photo: londondrum.comApparently suicidal people used to hurl themselves off the top but I’m guessing a few of them probably passed out just climbing the stairs. I certainly thought I was dying. I thought it was the end – my eyesight was turning black and white. I was telling myself to just keep climbing godammit, keep on climbing towards the light, up the neverending spiral of stairs that seemed to go on forever and ever. I thought I was going to step out onto the surface of the moon!
It took me eight minutes to finish and that was followed by another five minutes of me leaning against the wall thinking happy thoughts, trying to slow my heartbeat down.
The view from the balcony
Once you’ve recovered enough to look at the view you might be surprised to find how small the balcony is. It’s literally just one step wide – you can stand inside the doorway and reach your arm out to the edge. And the whole thing is enclosed inside a giant wire mesh so you feel like a budgie in a birdcage.
Photo: londondrum.comWhen The Monument was completed in 1677 it briefly became the highest point in the City until Wren surpassed it with the steeple of St. Mary-le-Bow. He then dwarfed them both when he topped out St. Paul’s Cathedral in 1708. But these days it’s not very tall at all, and barely gets above the surrounding office blocks. It must have been absolutely amazing as it was going up though – imagine having an uninterrupted view across the burnt out city as it was resurrected after the fire.
Photo: londondrum.comHow about a game of I-Spy while we’re up there? I seem to remember there being a couple of coin-operated telescopes in the corners but they’ve disappeared now. They don’t have any plaques of the skyline either, so you’ll have to use your knowledge of London to find these places.
Photo: londondrum.com
I’m not giving you any points for Tower Bridge because that’s far too easy, but how about the Tower of London? Most of it is lost behind the rooftops but you should be able to find the turrets of the White Tower.
Photo: londondrum.comSouthwark Cathedral and the Golden Hinde are a bit more of a challenge. Big Ben is completely hidden behind the buildings, but see if you can find Victoria Tower at the other end of Parliament. And if you can spot the top of Westminster Cathedral then you’re doing very well… but I do mean the cathedral, and not the abbey!
Photo: londondrum.com
My final challenge to you is Cleopatra’s Needle – you’re not allowed to head back down until you find the Egyptian obelisk on Victoria Embankment.
Robert Hooke’s science laboratory
Walking down is a lot easier on the knees than going up. Before you leave have a quick look around for a hatch in the floor by the money desk – that’s the entrance to Robert Hooke’s old laboratory where he carried out his scientific experiments.
He deliberately designed the staircase to curve around the outside of an empty central shaft so he could open up a hinged lid at the top and use the entire thing as a fixed telescope. He also tried dropping a giant pendulum down its length to measure gravitational effects. Unfortunately the public aren’t allowed in there anymore, but it’s worth noting as you go.
I’ve ranked The Monument as ★7 in London’s best historic places to visit
It also appears in my one-day London itineraries with timings, what to do in London in 2 days itinerary and how to spend a week in London itinerary
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
What do you think? (5)
Ask a question, or share your experience of The Monument
Ourmick It was a great place to go when I was a child. I was very thankful for the enclosing cage on the viewing platform for fear of falling which I might have done with such weak legs after climbing 300+ steps. This is not a ‘one-off’ place to go… just take it in with a walking tour from the Tower to St. Paul’s, The Old Bailey and the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street if you like. It’s a great part of London’s history. (reply)
patrick Is there disabled access? (reply)
Craig Hi Patrick. Unfortunately not, no. It’s just a tight spiral of stone stairs inside. There’s no room for a lift. (reply)
Vicky Hello! How long does it take to climb all the way to the top? (reply)
Craig Hi Vicky. It took me eight minutes to get up there, but I’m not exactly the fittest bloke in the world so you can probably knock a couple of minutes off. (reply)
Leave a comment (no need to register)
Forum - Landmarks, Attractions & Events