Search results
Nelson's Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built to commemorate Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson's decisive victory at the Battle of Trafalgar over the combined French and Spanish navies, during which he was killed by a French sniper.
Oct 12, 2024 · Nelson’s Column, monument in Trafalgar Square in London. It honours Horatio Nelson , the greatest of English naval heroes, and commemorates Britain’s triumph over France. Lord Nelson was killed at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, in which the Royal Navy defeated a combined force of 33 French and Spanish ships, destroying about 20, without itself losing a single ship.
- Who Built It, and Why?
- Where Is Ol’ Horatio?
- How Many Nelsons?
- What's It Made of?
- Is The Column Getting smaller?
- Anybody Ever Been Up there?
- The Admiral Looks Awfully Small from Down Here…
- Anyone Ever Tried to Pinch It?
- Tell Me About The Lions
The Nelson Column, as it was once known, was erected to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson's victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805; a victory in which he died. The Column took a while to — ahem — get off the ground. Built decades after the Admiral's death — between 1840 and 1843 — it was mostly funded by private donations, and generously helpe...
On the south side of Trafalgar Square. This now-familiar piazza was actually developed at the same time as the Column, although as a separate project. Before it, this area comprised royal stables and a mess of backstreets at the base of St Martin’s Lane. The statue of Nelson himself faces down Whitehall, towards the Admiralty, the HMS Victory at Po...
Good question. It's not just one, but five — if you count the quartet of bas-relief panels at the base, which depict the big man's many naval triumphs.
The design of William Railton, the shaft itself is made of concrete and is in a fluted, Corinthian style. The statue which adorns it was the work of Edward Hodges Baily and made from what is now a very rare sandstone. The bas-reliefs at ground level are made of melted-down guns captured from the French.
Kind of — at least in people's estimations. The monument was originally meant to be over 200 feet high; an ambition which was quickly scaled back due to safety fears. Then-prime minister Robert Peel stated, quite reasonably, that it would be "extremely inconvenient should the monument fall in that crowded part of the metropolis". In 2006, it was di...
The 14 stone masons responsible for hoisting the statue onto the top of the column in the 1840s made sure to have a dinner party up there before they did so. Since then, climbing the Column has become the preserve of countless stuntpeople and political activists. An anti-apartheid campaigner in the 1970s was believed to be the first. More recently,...
Notoriously so. In fact, French sightseers in the early days were said to be delighted that the statue depicted Napoleon. Up close, you learn that the stone Horatio has — just as the real Nelson did late in life — just one arm and one eye. Amid fears the remaining arm would be lost after a lightning strike in 1896, brass straps were affixed and sta...
Funny you should ask. The Nazis apparently loved how this big, powerful monument symbolised imperial conquest. The German air force was ordered not to bomb it in the hope of moving it to Berlin if they won the second world war.
These appeared a quarter-century after the Column, in 1867. The sculptor Edwin Landseer used some artistic license, after his model — a dead lion courtesy of London Zoo — rotted. His lions have been ridiculed: their backs bend the wrong way and some think their manes look more like waterfalls. Oddly, Landseer didn't even get the gig originally. The...
Built between 1840 and 1843, the Column stands 52m tall in the middle of the square, was designed by William Railton and carved out of Craigleith sandstone by the Bristol-born sculptor Edward Baily. It commemorates Admiral Horatio Nelson who died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
Sep 30, 2019 · Nelson's Column Centre stage in Trafalgar Square, standing at just under 52m is the iconic 'Nelson's Column'. Originally known as 'The Monument to Lord Nelson', it forms a tribute to one of the nation's most famous naval heroes.
Mar 12, 2019 · The Original Nelson’s Column. Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square has been a landmark in London since it was completed in 1843. It is just under 170 feet tall (including the statue of Nelson himself at the top) and the four sides of the pedestal carry relief panels that commemorate Nelson’s four great fleet actions – St.Vincent, The Nile, Copenhagen and Trafalgar.
People also ask
Why is Nelson's Column important?
Who sculpted Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square?
Who designed the Corinthian column?
What is Nelson's Column made of?
What is on the top of a warship column?
Built during mid-19th Century on the former stables and courtyard of the Palace of Whitehall, Trafalgar Square is home to Nelson’s Column, two 24m fountains, four sculpture plinths and statues of historically important world figures. At the top of the square are the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and St Martin in the Fields church.
