This prestigious award, now over 30 years old, is given each year to the best refurbishment project in the City. Previous winners include; St Paul’s Cathedral, Temple Bar and St Bartholomew’s Hospital West Wing.

The City of London Corporation’s restoration project of the Monument cost £4.5million and included a new viewing platform balustrade, cage, new telescopes, improved lighting, cleaner stonework and repairs to the architectural sculpture. The “flaming” orb was reguilded and real-time panoramic views from the top are now relayed on a dedicated website.

The Lord Mayor of London, Alderman, Nick Anstee and Chairman of the City Heritage Society, Mr Desmond FitzPatrick

The plaque was unveiled by The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alderman Nick Anstee at a ceremony at the foot of the Monument. The Lord Mayor said:

“More than 150,000 people visited the Monument each year before its restoration. Now the numbers are increasing exponentially. So I am delighted the Monument has won one of the, if not the, premiere award for conservation and restoration of good buildings”.

Mr Desmond FitzPatrick, Chairman of the City Heritage Society said: “This well loved feature of our city, now clean and beautifully restored, is again as it should be!”

For further information about the Monument visit www.themonument.info

New viewing platform

On Saturday 11 October the streets around the Monument were closed for an exciting landmark event in the Monument restoration project. A massive 100 tonne crane winched a new balustrade and platform cage on to the viewing platform. The balustrade was lifted in two sections before workmen welded it together. The operation took five hours to complete.

The platform cage has been constructed of lightweight cable mesh, stretched over stainless steel tubes. It replaces the former iron bars which were installed in the 1950s. This installation is part of the £4.5 million project which also involves the cleaning and repair of the Monument’s stonework and the regilding of its famous golden orb.

View images of the balustrade and cage installation on the Monument website: www.themonument.info/diary/11102008.asp

Harris Digital Productions filmed and photographed the installation for the City of London.
Repairs to the Monument are carried out every hundred years, the last major work was undertaken in the 1880s. The current project has cost the City of London Corporation £4.5million.

Visitors who climb the 311 spiral steps to admire the view at the top will also be able to use state of the art telescopes which have been designed as part of the new balustrade. The curved stainless tubes of the structure contain the electrical cabling for the services on the viewing platform including CCTV cameras and lighting.

Built in 1671 to commemorate the Great Fire of London in 1666, the Monument is one of the City’s most outstanding landmarks. The Grade 1 listed building has been closed since July 2007 and is due to open in February 2009.

You can follow the restoration of the Monument on our dedicated website www.themonument.info

Monument, London

The Monument, one of the City of London’s most outstanding landmarks and visitor attractions, will close on 30 July for an 18-month programme of improvements and repairs.

The £4.5 million project, funded by the City of London Corporation, will involve the cleaning and repair of the Monument’s stonework and the re-gilding of it’s famous golden orb. A range of new and improved facilities will be created such as a modified gallery “cage”, new lighting and, for people who do not want to climb the 311 stairs to the top, there are plans for live views to be relayed from the gallery to visitors on the ground.

Sir Christopher Wren’s flame-topped Monument to the Great Fire of 1666 is the tallest isolated stone column in the world. Completed in 1677, The Monument stands 202 ft high and is positioned 202 ft from the spot in Pudding Lane on which the Great Fire is believed to have started. Every year, over 100,000 visitors climb the 311 spiral steps to the Monument’s observation gallery to enjoy unique and exhilarating views across the Capital.

Repairs to The Monument have been carried out approximately every hundred years, with work last undertaken in 1888. The Monument is scheduled to re-open to visitors when the restoration work is completed in December 2008.

Pauline Halliday, Chief Commoner and Chairman of the City of London’s City Lands Committee, which is responsible for the Monument, said: “I am delighted that work will soon be underway to protect and enhance this historical landmark for current and future generations of visitors to the City of London”.

The restoration work will be carried out by Cathedral Works Organisation (Chichester) Ltd, which successfully completed the relocation of Temple Bar in 2004 for the City of London Corporation. Hare & Humphreys Ltd will be re-gilding the flaming orb this spring, restoring its brilliant shine with the application of over 30,000 leaves of gold.

The restoration is being filmed and photographed by Harris Digital Productions, who have set up the website www.themonument.info to show work in progress and updated information about the project.