The Monument was set up to commemorate the destruction which occured during the Great Fire of London in 1666. Despite the fact that everyone knew it was going to be a bad year (1666, you see), only a couple of people died in the fire. It was the immense property damage that was the real issue, plus the fact that the parts of London which hadn't been razed to the ground were covered in ash for weeks afterward.
However, on a positive note, Christopher Wren got a free hand in designing many of the new buildings in the City - St Pauls is one of his, as is the Monument. Here is the perfect place for a footnote - when people in London talk about going to the City, they don't just mean the city of London as a whole, but a specific place within London, namely the business district. Historically, the City refers to the part of London that was encircled by the Roman wall, and for some reason, the name has stuck. Crazy I know, but hey, I don't make the rules.
And what really makes me think that Chris W. was an all-round cool guy is that, if the Monument were to fall (eastwards, I think), the golden flames at the top would land in the exact spot that the Great Fire began - a bakery on Pudding Lane.
The other awesome thing about the Monument is that there are amazing views from the top, at a fraction of the price of the London Eye. Granted, you have to climb to the top yourself, but since climbing all those stairs will guarantee you a P. Middy style derriere, its a win-win. Here are some of my photos from the tipidy-top:
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| Looking up the Thames to the Tower Bridge. |
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| The City. |
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| So high above the ground! |
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| Looking North (roughly) |
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