6 It has reflected glory
As well as tidying up the ground area, the Corporation of London has installed a new pavilion with public toilets and facilities for those who work at the Monument. Built using the same black Irish limestone that’s on the paving and viewing platforms, the pavilion’s crowning glory is its roof.
‘We wanted a connection between the building and the monument,’ explains Callister. ‘The architect came up with these diamond-shaped pieces of glass held with universal joints – which were invented by Hooke – so when you look down from the viewing platform, the orb is reflected back at you, and the whole roof appears as a gold surface.’
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7 This used to be a suicide hotspot
The new roof will at least give thwarted jumpers something to look at. The Monument saw six suicides between 1788 and 1842. This prompted a fraudulent notice in the Times in 1827: ‘A person will attend at the Monument, and will, for the sum of £2,500, undertake to jump clear of the said Monument, and in coming down will drink some beer and eat a cake, act some trades, shorten and make sail and bring ship safe to anchor.’
8 The Monument is ‘not humane’
The construction of the pavilion means that the three people who work at the Monument can escape its horribly cramped conditions. ‘Moving them out has allowed us to think about what we can do with the ground floor,’ says Callister. An 18-month, £5-million scheme will see the installation of a permanent exhibition space.
9 Until then, head to the British Library
The Library’s current ‘London: A Life In Maps’ exhibition includes some of Robert Hooke’s original sketches for alternative versions of the Monument. This sort of material will soon be found at the Monument itself.
10 It’s getting ready for a comeback
At the height of its popularity at the start of the twentieth century, the Monument was drawing around 500,000 visitors a year, but this has
fallen off to 300,000. ‘We hope that clearing up all the mess at ground level means school parties studying the fire will want to come back,’ says Callister. ‘This is one of London’s icons, but it’s dropped off the radar.’ Time for rediscovery.
The Monument, Monument St, EC3 (020 7626 2717). Open daily 9.30am-5pm. Adm £2, children (5-15) £1, under-fives free. The new public space will open officially on Jan 31.
