Nelson's Column | London Revolution

London Revolution

A collection of London 360 images 1995 - 2009

London Facts Part III

Image © Will Pearson

Nelson’s Column

For 163 years, the height of the Nelson’s Column was always quoted as 56 metres tall (185 foot). However, in 2006, measurements were taken which revealed that the column is a fair bit shorter at only 50 metres (169′5″).

When work had finished on the Corinthian column, 14 of the stonemasons who had worked on the structure had a dinner party on top, complete with table and chairs. Nelson’s statue was added after the dinner was finished!
A guileless American ‘bought’ Nelson’s column from a Scottish conman in 1925.
Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson’s injured right arm was amputated (without anaesthetic). Lightening stuck Nelson’s statue’s left arm in the 1880’s, though it was secured with bronze straps and then restored in 2006.
Various people have climbed the column, including 1970’s Blue Peter presenter John Noakes. In 2003, a base jumper parachuted to the bottom to highlight the Chinese occupation of Tibet.

You can click here to see Nelson’s Column in these Trafalgar Square virtual tours.

Tags: London, nelson's column, Trafalgar Square

This entry was posted on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 at 10:17 am and is filed under London History & Information, London Landmarks, Trafalgar Square. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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This website and its contents are owned by W. Pearson. The website, its design and its content including each and every photograph and virtual tour are protected by copyright and trademark law and other related intellectual property rights. Copyright in the photographs is owned by W. Pearson. W. Pearson's photographs are also protected by moral rights. W. Pearson asserts his moral right to be identified as the author whenever his photographs are copied or distributed by any means. All works on this website may not be reproduced without the permission of W. Pearson.