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The Monument – you know, that tall, climbable stone column in the City made to commemorate the Great Fire of London – could soon get its first ever proper visitor centre. The memorial currently only has a small entrance and a ticket desk, but that all might be about to change.
As revealed by IanVisits, the demolition of a nearby office block will make space for a potential visitor centre at the ground floor of the Monument. Inside the centre is set to be an exhibition about the Great Fire and its aftermath, as well as a cafe.
The Great Fire of London started 202 feet from the current base of the Monument in 1666. Sparked by a baker, the fire quickly spread and destroyed 86 percent of the City. The rebuild, which was led by Sir Christopher Wren, took nearly 50 years. Wren created the Monument alongside Dr Robert Hooke in the 1670s.
A whopping 200,000 people climb the Monument’s 311 spiral steps each year for one of the most iconic aerial views in the Square Mile. Dame Mary Beard called it ‘one of the most lasting memorials to a disaster ever.’
A new visitor centre could draw in even more human traffic to the staircase. If plans are approved, construction is set to start next year.
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