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The Monument
to
the
Great
Fire
of
London,
more
commonly
known
simply
as the
Monument,
is
a Doric column in London,
England,
situated
near
the
northern
end
of London
Bridge.
Commemorating
the Great
Fire
of
London,
it
stands
at
the
junction
of
Monument
Street
and
Fish
Street
Hill,
202
feet
(62 m)
in
height
and
202
feet
west
of
the
spot
in Pudding
Lane where
the
Great
Fire
started
on
2
September
1666.
Constructed
between
1671
and
1677,
it
was
built
on
the
site
of St
Margaret,
New
Fish
Street,
the
first
church
to
be
destroyed
by
the
Great
Fire.
It
is
Grade
I listed and
is
a
scheduled
monument. Another
monument,
the Golden
Boy
of
Pye
Corner,
marks
the
point
near Smithfield where
the
fire
was
stopped.
The
Monument
comprises
a fluted Doric
column
built
of Portland
stone topped
with
a gilded urn of
fire.
It
was
designed
by Christopher
Wren and Robert
Hooke.
Its
height
marks
its
distance
from
the
site
of
the
shop
of Thomas
Farriner (or
Farynor),
the
king's
baker,
where
the
blaze
began.
The
viewing
platform
near
the
top
of
the
Monument
is
reached
by
a
narrow
winding
staircase
of
311
steps.
A
mesh
cage
was
added
in
the
mid-19th
century
to
prevent
people
jumping
to
the
ground,
after
six
people
had
committed
suicide
there
between
1788
and
1842.
Three
sides
of
the
base
carry inscriptions in Latin.
The
one
on
the
south
side
describes
actions
taken
by King
Charles
II following
the
fire.
The
inscription
on
the
east
side
describes
how
the
Monument
was
started
and
brought
to
perfection,
and
under
which
mayors.
Inscriptions
on
the
north
side
describe
how
the
fire
started,
how
much
damage
it
caused,
and
how
it
was
eventually
extinguished. The
Latin
words
"Sed
Furor
Papisticus
Qui
Tamdiu
Patravit
Nondum
Restingvitur"
(but
Popish
frenzy,
which
wrought
such
horrors,
is
not
yet
quenched)
were
added
to
the
end
of
the
inscription
on
the
orders
of
the Court
of
Aldermen in
1681
during
the
foment
of
the Popish
Plot.Text
on
the
east
side
originally
falsely
blamed
Roman
Catholics
for
the
fire
("burning
of
this
protestant
city,
begun
and
carried
on
by
the
treachery
and
malice
of
the
popish
faction"),
which
prompted Alexander
Pope (himself
a
Catholic)
to
say
of
the
area:
The
first
Rebuilding
Act,
passed
in
1669,
stipulated
that
"the
better
to
preserve
the
memory
of
this
dreadful
visitation",
a
column
of
either
brass
or
stone
should
be
set
up
on
Fish
Street
Hill,
on
or
near
the
site
of
Farynor's
bakery,
where
the
fire
began. Christopher
Wren,
as
surveyor-general
of
the
King's
Works,
was
asked
to
submit
a
design.
Wren
worked
with Robert
Hooke on
the
design.
It
is
impossible
to
disentangle
the
collaboration
between
Hooke
and
Wren,
but
Hooke's
drawings
of
possible
designs
for
the
column
still
exist,
with
Wren's
signature
on
them
indicating
his
approval
of
the
drawings
rather
than
their
authorship.It
was
not
until
1671
that
the
City
Council
approved
the
design,
and
it
took
six
years
to
complete
the
202 ft
column.
It
was
two
more
years
before
the
inscription
(which
had
been
left
to
Wren —
or
to
Wren's
choice —
to
decide
upon)
was
set
in
place.
"Commemorating —
with
a
brazen
disregard
for
the
truth —
the
fact
that
'London
rises
again...three
short
years
complete
that
which
was
considered
the
work
of
ages.'"