Nelson's Column

This article is about the monument in London. For the BBC comedy, see Nelson's Column (TV series). For the Montreal monument, see Nelson's Column, Montreal. For the former monument in Dublin, see Nelson's Pillar. For other obelisks to Nelson, see Nelson Monument.

Nelson's Column
Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square
Map
51°30′27.8″N 0°07′40.7″W / 51.507722°N 0.127972°W / 51.507722; -0.127972
LocationLondon, WC2
United Kingdom
DesignerWilliam Railton, E. H. Baily and Sir Edwin Landseer
Also: Musgrave Watson, William F. Woodington, John Ternouth and John Edward Carew (sculptors), Grissell and Peto (contractors)
TypeVictory column
MaterialGranite and bronze
Height169 feet 3 inches (51.59 m)
Beginning date1840
Completion date1843
Opening date1843
Dedicated toAdmiral Horatio Nelson

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. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by William Railton at a cost of £47,000 (equivalent to £5,828,216 in 2023). It is a column of the Corinthian order[1] built from Dartmoor granite. The statue of Nelson was carved from Craigleith sandstone by sculptor Edward Hodges Baily. The four bronze lions around its base, designed by Sir Edwin Landseer, were added in 1867.[2]

The pedestal is decorated with four bronze relief panels, each 18 feet (5.5 m) square, cast from captured French guns. They depict the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen and the death of Nelson at Trafalgar. The sculptors were Musgrave Watson, William F. Woodington, John Ternouth and John Edward Carew, respectively. The ornate capital upon which Nelson stands is by Charles Harriott Smith.[3]

It was refurbished in 2006 at a cost of £420,000 (equivalent to £767,579 in 2023), at which time it was surveyed and found to be 14 feet 6 inches (4.42 m) shorter than previously supposed.[4][5] The whole monument is 169 feet 3 inches (51.59 m) tall from the bottom of the pedestal to the top of Nelson's hat.

  1. ^ "The Selected Design for the Nelson Testimonial". The Art Union. 1: 100. 1839. Retrieved 30 May 2011., p.100
  2. ^ White, Colin (2002), The Nelson Encyclopaedia, London: Chatham Publishing / Lionel Leventhal Limited, p. 178, ISBN 1-86176-253-4
  3. ^ Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis
  4. ^ Restored naval hero is revealed, BBC News, 11 July 2006
  5. ^ Dawar, Anil (13 July 2006), "Nelson's Column is 16ft shorter than everybody thought", The Telegraph, London, archived from the original on 12 January 2022, retrieved 20 May 2010