The huge and powerful column of Admiral Nelson ( Nelson's Column) occupies the main place in the most famous square of London and the whole of Great Britain - Trafalgar or Trafalgar Square.
Back in 1843, it rose above the main buildings of the city, granting eternal memory Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar. The Corinthian column itself is made of granite. Bronze decorations in the form of twisted leaves give it additional majesty. The square pedestal on which the column stands is decorated with panels cast from captured cannons of the French army, which depict four of the admiral's most famous and greatest victories.
Admiral Horatio Nelson himself, or rather his statue, was made of sandstone by a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, Edward Hodges Bailey. In confirmation of this, a tablet located at the foot of the monument shows us his name engraved in bronze.
Also at the base of the column you can see four lions, but they were only added in 1867.
Interesting facts
- By a strange coincidence, Hitler treated this monument with particular reverence. He really wanted, after taking London, to take the statue to Berlin.
- The height of the column itself is 46 meters, and the height of the Nelson statue is 5.5 meters.
- The statue of the admiral itself looks south, exactly at the flagship named after him, located in the same direction as the Admiralty and Portsmouth.
- There is a legend that in 1925, an incredibly talented swindler from Scotland managed to sell this column to the Americans.
- During the history of the column’s existence, they managed to climb it twice, in 1970 and in 1989. Both of these incidents occurred during the filming of television programs.
- Since the construction of the column, it was believed that the total height of all elements of this monument was 56 meters, but after restoration in 2006, laser examination showed that it was significantly lower, only 50 meters. The countdown was made from the highest point on the admiral's hat, that is, his feather.
- If we translate the amount that the construction of the column cost into today’s money, it will come out? 3,500,000 or? $6,000,000.
How to get there?
- Considering that the monument itself is located in Trafalgar Square, you will need to find it first.
- Not far from the square there is Charing Cross London Underground station.
- Within walking distance you can find several stops, past which buses run numbers N550, 6, 9, 13, 23, 91, N91, N97, N550, 139, 24, 29, 87 and others.
- In the UK, and especially in London, two-wheeled transport is very popular, so you can easily get here by bicycle.
Address: Trafalgar Square, Westminster, London WC2N 5DN, UK
Foursquare: ru.foursquare.com/v/nelsons-column/4ae5c61ff964a520efa121e3
The Nelson Monument occupies a central position on the largest, light-stone-paved terrace of Trafalgar Square.
Cast in bronze by the sculptor Bailey, the figure of the admiral is crowned by a granite column with a bronze Corinthian capital, installed in 1839-1842 by William Railton. Nelson's Column high - 44 meters, and also raised on a mighty pedestal. This makes the five-meter figure of the admiral standing on it seem disproportionately small.
At the foot of the monument stood four huge bronze lions - the creation of the famous English animal painter E. Landseer. Around them you can constantly see flocks of pigeons and crowds of tourists.
The four sides of the column are decorated with frescoes made from captured and melted Napoleonic cannons.
Nelson was the victim of extramarital love. In between battles, he visited Naples, where he fell hopelessly in love with Lord Hamilton's wife, Emma, because of which he was forced to divorce his own wife and endure a lot of suffering.
Lord Nelson was awarded his own column quite late. He died in 1805, and the column was erected in 1839-42, the statue was installed only in 1843. Trafalgar Column cast in bronze according to the model of the sculptor Bailey.
Later, bronze reliefs were erected on the pedestal of the column, depicting the main battles won by Nelson, including the Battle of Trafalgar. Even later, bronze lions by Landseer appeared near the statue.
The first column of this kind in London was built by Sir Christopher Renn, in memory of the fire of 1666, but later such columns were no longer built.
On July 22, 2006, the scaffolding was removed from Nelson's Column after a four-month restoration. Unexpectedly, it turned out that the column is 5 meters shorter than it was thought during the century and a half of its existence. It was believed that the height of the statue of Admiral Nelson was 5.5 meters, and the height of the entire monument was more than 60 meters. These dimensions were indicated in guidebooks to London. However, measurements taken with a laser after the restoration confirmed that the column had shrunk.
Nelson's Column was installed in Trafalgar Square in 1842. More than a hundred years ago in left hand The statue of Admiral Nelson was struck by lightning. During the restoration, which was carried out for the first time in 20 years, the admiral’s hand was “treated.” Also during the restoration work, it turned out that the war declared by the London mayor on pigeons, which led to a ban on tourists feeding these birds in Trafalgar Square, was in vain. The mayor claimed that pigeons had littered the Nelson monument. In fact, this is not the case: only swallow droppings were found on Nelson's shoulders and hat. Ornithologists say that there is no point in pigeons climbing to such a height, because there is no food for them there.
Nelson's Column (Great Britain) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.
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The monument to Admiral Horatio Nelson in the form of a tall column is located in the center of Trafalgar Square in London. Construction of the column took three years - from 1840 to 1843. Nelson died in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, and that is why the sculpture was installed in the London square of the same name. The monument is impressive in size - a 5-meter statue of Nelson is located on top of a 46-meter column. Interestingly, the location of the column has special meaning- the monument looks south, towards the Admiralty and Portsmouth - the site of Nelson's flagship, the Royal Navy ship HMS Victory.
In 1925, swindler Arthur Ferguson managed to “sell” Nelson’s Column to one gullible American. Ferguson made up a story that the monument was put up for sale because of the need to cover Britain's war loan from the United States. In the same way, he “sold” Buckingham Palace and Big Ben.
Several people worked on this attraction at once. The author of the monument is the architect William Railton; the statue itself was created by a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, Edward Hodges Bailey. In addition, five sculptors sculpted the four bronze panels and four lions that adorn the monument. By the way, the first column of this type was installed in London in memory of the fire of 1666.
In total, it took about $6 million to create Nelson's Column.
The details of the column are very interesting. For example, the top ornament - bronze leaves - was cast from English cannons. The pedestal has bronze panels that were cast from French cannons. The panels depict 4 of Nelson's victories. It took 29 guns from HMS Royal George to make part of the internal foundation. At the London National maritime museum in Greenwich there is a model of Nelson's Column reduced by 22 times.
Interestingly, Nelson's Column was a peculiar object of desire for Adolf Hitler. He hoped to make a successful invasion of England and then transport the column to Berlin.
In London's National Maritime Museum in Greenwich there is a model of Nelson's Column reduced by 22 times.
Daredevils have already climbed Nelson's Column several times. As a rule, this was done for advertising purposes or to draw attention to some issue. Ed Drummon was the first to climb the monument in 1979 as part of the anti-racism movement. He used a road lightning rod for lifting.
Nelson's Column was restored seven years ago. Before this, a laser examination was carried out, which showed that the height of the monument is less than thought. In fact, the height of the column is 50 meters, not 56. During preparations for restoration, another interesting fact was revealed. The fact is that there are always a lot of not only tourists around the column, but also feathered “spectators” - pigeons. At one time, the mayor of London even banned feeding birds near the monument, considering that pigeons were constantly soiling the monument with droppings. It turned out that the mayor's efforts were in vain - the Nelson statue was chosen by swallows, and the pigeons had nothing to do with it.
The famous square of King William IV of England, located in the very center of the British capital, received the name Trafalgar thanks to the grandiose victory of England at the Spanish Cape of Trafalgar. Nelson's Column stands majestically in the center of the square. A statue of G. Nelson stands proudly on top of the famous column.
Story
Architect W. Railton mid-19th Art. designed the structure of the monument. The height of the Trafalgar Column was about 46 meters (without the statue). British sculptor Edward Bailey made a 16-foot (5.5 meter) sandstone statue of General Nelson. Construction lasted 3 years and ended in 1843. Its pedestal is decorated with bronze panels. They depict the brilliant victories of General Nelson. Sculptors such as Ternaus, Carew, Watson and Wooddington worked on the creation of relief frescoes. Admiral Nelson's column cost the government 47 thousand pounds (now about 3.5 million pounds).
Architecture
Nelson's Column is 167 feet (51 meters) high. Bronze acanthus leaves decorate the top of a Corinthian column. They are cast from captured Napoleonic cannons. Nelson's Column at the base is cast from the guns of the English ship Royal George. The general's statue looks out south direction towards the British Maritime Department. The column is decorated on four sides with bronze frescoes.
The talented sculptor of the Romantic era, Henry Landseer, cast four bronze lions in bronze around the column. They were added 24 years after the construction of the column was completed. The area where Nelson's Column is located is surrounded by important buildings: the National Gallery, the Admiralty Arch made of Portland stone, the famous parish church of St. Martin with a golden crown on the spire. In the middle of the 20th century. Several fountains appeared around the famous column.
- At the beginning of the XX century. Arthur Ferguson, a fraudster from Scotland, valued the monument to Lord Nelson at 6 thousand pounds ($8 thousand). In 1925, Nelson's Column was “sold” to a naive tourist from the United States. Interestingly, Ferguson managed to sell Big Ben (or for a thousand pounds, rented it out for a hundred thousand pounds White House and even sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal. By the way, the gullible Texan “rented” the White House for almost a hundred years.
- We know where Nelson's Column is located. But where, if not in Berlin, did Adolf Hitler dream of seeing her? He wanted to smuggle her out of Britain. For the dictator it had sacred meaning.
- In the capital of Foggy Albion, in the maritime museum you can see a model of the monument. It is more than 20 times smaller than the original.
- At the end of the XX century. the column was “conquered” twice. John Nux was the first to dare to climb the column, and 19 years later - Gary Wilmot. Both incidents took place during filming for the BBC.
- More than a hundred years ago, lightning struck the left hand of the statue of the famous Admiral Nelson. In mid-2006, the general’s limb was “cured.”
- Extreme highest point columns - quartz feather on the admiral's headdress.
- In Dublin (Ireland) a column was built in honor of Nelson. The monument in Dublin turned out to be extremely similar to the column. The height of the column was about 40 meters. In 1966 it was blown up.
Restoration of the column
IN beginning of XXI century, Nelson's Column has undergone restoration. It cost the government $520 thousand. Work began at the end of July 2006 and lasted four months. This was the first restoration in the last 20 years. A laser audit of the statue found that it is 5 meters lower than previously thought. London guidebooks previously indicated that the G. Nelson memorial is more than 56 meters in height. However, after extensive restoration, it was confirmed that the column of the famous general had been reduced to real indicators- 51 meters.
Cristian Bortes / flickr.com Cristian Bortes / flickr.com Elliott Brown / flickr.com Peter Siroki / flickr.com stu smith / flickr.com Andy Hay / flickr.com Garry Knight / flickr.com Kathryn Yengel / flickr.com keith ellwood /flickr.com
In Trafalgar Square, located in the center of London, a majestic monument was erected in honor of the significant achievements of military craft, the brilliant command of the British fleet and in memory of the tragic death of Admiral Nelson in the Battle of Trafalgar.
Nelson's Column is a gigantic statue built on a high pedestal. Her upper part decorated with a bust of the admiral, reaching a five-meter height, despite the fact that the entire column, including the Nelson monument, is about 50 meters in height.
The decor of the column in Trafalgar Square is made using bronze elements. A plaque with information about its creator is attached to the foot of the monument, and about 20 years after the installation of the column, new elements were added at the base - four large noble lions.
Despite the fact that the sculptor who erected Nelson's Column from 1840 to 1843 in London is Edward Bailey, the author of the project, William Railton, made a huge contribution to the creation of this memorable object. It was according to the layout he developed that Bailey recreated his creation.
The location of the installed statue was not chosen by chance. From the center of Trafalgar Square, the admiral looks towards the Admiralty - after all, his ship "HMS Victory", belonging to the Royal To the Navy UK. This indicates that the authors wanted to emphasize symbolic loyalty to their flagship and their life’s work.
It is said that the cultural value of the statue attracted the interest of many famous and powerful people. There are rumors that Adolf Hitler was quite determined to take the Nelson monument to Germany and even gave some orders for the organization of this event.
Nelson's Column is also connected with another story, which tells about the Scot Arthur Ferguson, who back in 1925 tried to sell the landmark of England to the Americans. But, despite all the mythical assumptions, the monument stands in its usual place in London.
Being popular with local residents and visiting tourists, the monument often helped in achieving certain goals. Brave people could attract public attention to any problem by simply climbing to the top of the monument.
From the life of Horatio Nelson
Horatio Nelson comes from a simple family, the head of which was a priest. Born in 1758, the boy did not have any special abilities and, being one of 12 children in his huge family, did not stand out in any significant way.
Horatio had no particular desire to study, and he could not boast of great health. When the boy was 12 years old, his uncle accepted him into the fleet. This became a decisive stage in Nelson's life. After all, it was his uncle who helped him immerse himself in the essence of military maritime affairs.
Starting his journey as a simple cabin boy, Nelson achieved great heights. Seven years later, the young man, having gone to the frigate Lowestof, took part in hostilities during the American Revolution, where he showed himself courageously, heroically saving hundreds of lives and completing all the tasks assigned by the command.
By that time, he mastered many skills in his field, went on numerous voyages on giant ships, which earned him a worthy naval title. Thanks to his courage and fearlessness, soon, a year later, the twenty-year-old youth became the captain of his first frigate.
Active life position and fighting spirit forced him to fight in French revolutions and Napoleonic battles, which contributed to the advancement of military service. In 1801 Nelson earned the rank of vice admiral.
Conclusion
The creation of the statue should be attributed to special type creations. To reflect the powerful image of an outstanding person who made a huge contribution to the formation of any state means to perpetuate the memory of him and his great deeds. Only true masters of their craft can accurately convey the charisma or influential gait of a military figure, and the reward of such a talented sculpture will be national recognition of his work for many centuries.
The same thing happened to the famous column of Nelson, the legendary British vice admiral. This monument acquired genuine historical value and became a real landmark in London. According to experts, the cost of the statue in Trafalgar Square is tens of millions of dollars. In addition, in 2006, considerable money was spent on its restoration.
Nelson's Column is a valuable historical landmark in London, which is a tribute to the heroic naval battles of the British.