It is a monument built between 1840 and 1843. The monument is located in the center of London.
The column was built in honor of the memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The monument was designed by the architect William Railtog, who created his project in 1838. Nelson's Column was built by Peto & Grissell.
The statue, which is 5.5 meters high, faces the Admiralty, to the right of it, on Mall Street, you can see Nelson's ships represented on each flagpole.
Nelson's statue stands on top of a 46-meter column made of granite.
The sandstone statue is fixed by a small bronze plate located at its base. A member of the Royal Academy, E. G. Bailey, worked on the statue of Nelson.
The top of the Corinthian column is decorated with a bronze ornament made of leaves that were smelted from British cannons.
The four bronze panels adorning the square pedestal are cast from French guns and sculpted by John Turnout, John Edward Carew, Musgrave Watson and William F. Woodington. The panels depict Nelson's four victories.
The total cost of building the monument was £47,500. In 1867, four lions were added to the base of the column by Edwin Lutyens.
The renovation of Nelson's Column took place in 2006. The work, for which the Zurich financial services provided £420,000, was carried out by a company from the south of the city, David Ball Restoration Ltd.. In order to prevent damage to the stone and copper, soft emery was used along with steam cleaning.
During the laser inspection, which was carried out before the restoration of the monument, it turned out that Nelson's column is much lower than usually indicated and is 56 meters. From the first step of the pedestal, or rather from its base to the tip of the hat, the height, in fact, was 50 meters.
Information for tourists
Address: Trafalgar Square, London
Metro: Charing Cross station, Bakerloo Line and Northern Line
Nelson's Column in London (England)
Column location
Nelson's Column is a monument located in the center of Trafalgar Square in London (England)
Story
The column was built between 1840 and 1843 in memory of Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The 5.5-meter statue of Nelson sits atop a 46-meter granite column. The statue looks south towards the Admiralty and Portsmouth - the place where Nelson's flagship, the Royal Navy ship HMS Victory, stands.
Description
The top of the Corinthian column is decorated with a bronze leaf-shaped ornament cast from English cannons. The square pedestal is adorned with four bronze panels cast from captured French cannons depicting Nelson's 4 famous victories. Part of the inner base is made from 29 artillery pieces delivered from HMS Royal George, a ship of the same type as HMS Victory. The monument was designed by architect William Railton in 1838 and built by Peto & Grissell. A 1:22 scale model of the monument in stone is on display at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London. The sandstone statue at the top was created by Edward Hodges Bailey, a member of the Royal Academy of Arts: a small bronze tablet with the name of the author is located at its foot. 4 bronze panels were created by sculptors: M. Watson, D. Ternaus, W. Wooddington, D. E. Carew. In general, the monument cost 47,500 pounds sterling, which in modern terms is 3.5 million pounds sterling (about 6 million dollars). 4 lions, created by Edwin Landseer, at the base of the column were added much later - only in 1867.
For reference:
Horatio Nelson (English Horatio Nelson; born September 29, 1758, Burnham Thorpe, Norfolk - died October 21, 1805, Cape Trafalgar, Spain) - English naval commander, vice admiral (January 1, 1801), Baron Nile (1798), Viscount (1801). (photo 2).
Biography of Nelson
Born in the family of the parish priest Edmund Nelson (1722-1802) and Katherine Suckling (1725-1767). The Nelson family was theological. Three generations of men of this family served as priests. There were eleven children in the family of Edmund Nelson, he raised them strictly, loved order in everything, considered fresh air and physical exercises very important in the matter of education, sincerely believed in God, considered himself a true gentleman and partly even a scientist. Horatio grew up as a sickly child, small in stature, but with a lively character. In 1767, Horatio's mother, Katherine Nelson, died at the age of forty-two. Edmund Nelson never married after his wife's death. Horatio became especially close to his brother William, who would later follow in his father's footsteps and become a priest. Horatio studied at two schools: elementary Downham Market and secondary in Norwich, studied Shakespeare and the basics of Latin, but he had no inclination to study.
From cabin boy to admiral
In 1771, at the age of 12, he entered the ship of his uncle, Captain Maurice Suckling, a hero of the Seven Years' War, as a cabin boy. Uncle's reaction to Horatio's desire to enter the Navy was as follows: “What was wrong with poor Horatio, that it was he, the most fragile of all, who would have to carry out naval service? But let him come. Maybe in the first battle a cannonball will blow his head off and save him from all worries! Soon uncle's ship "Resonable" was mothballed, and Horatio, at the request of his uncle, was transferred to the battleship "Triumph". The captain of the Triumph was going to go to the West Indies, and it was on this voyage that young Nelson received his first sea service skills. Subsequently, Nelson recalled the first voyage: “If I didn’t succeed in my education, then, in any case, I acquired a lot of practical skills, an aversion to the Royal Navy and learned the sailors’ motto:“ In the struggle for awards and glory forward, brave sailor! ". Then he worked as a messenger on another ship. After that, Suckling takes his nephew to his Triumph as a midshipman. The ship carried out sentinel service, and Captain Suckling was engaged in the maritime education of his nephew. Under the guidance of his uncle, Horatio mastered the basics of navigation, learned to read a map and act as a gunner. Soon, young Nelson gets a longboat at his disposal and walks on it at the mouths of the Thames and Midway.
In the summer of 1773, a polar expedition was organized, which included the fourteen-year-old Horatio, who was sent to serve on the Carcass. The expedition was not successful and to this day is known only for the fact that the future hero participated in it. However, even there, Horatio amazed everyone with his courage, when he saw a polar bear at night, grabbed a musket and chased him to the horror of the ship's captain. The bear, frightened by the cannon shot, fled, and upon returning to the ship, Nelson took all the blame. The captain, scolding him, admired in his heart the courage of the young man. Polar adventures hardened the hero, and he longed for new exploits.
In 1773 he became a 1st class sailor on the brig Seahorse. Nelson spent almost a year in the Indian Ocean. In 1775, he collapsed with a fit of fever, he was taken to the ship "Dolphin" and sent to the shores of England. The return voyage lasted more than six months. Much later, Nelson recalled a vision on the way from India: "A certain light descended from the sky, a sparkling luminary, calling for glory and triumph." Upon arrival at home, he was assigned to the Worcester ship as the fourth lieutenant, that is, he was already the chief of the watch, although he did not yet have an officer's rank. He carried out patrol service and accompanied trade caravans.
In the spring of 1777, Horatio Nelson takes the exam for the rank of lieutenant, as they say, not without the help of his all-powerful uncle, Captain Suckling, who was chairman of the examination board. Immediately after successfully passing the exam, he was assigned to the frigate Lovestov, which sailed to the West Indies. An officer's toast before sailing: "For a bloody war and a season that brings diseases!" The Lovestov team treated the young lieutenant with respect and, when he left the frigate, gave him an ivory box in the form of their frigate as a keepsake. Nelson transferred to the flagship Bristol under Parker.
In 1778, Nelson became a commander and was assigned to the brig Badger, guarding the eastern coast of Latin America. The coastguard service was hectic, as smugglers constantly had to be chased. On one of the days of the Badger's parking in Montego Bay, the Glasgow brig suddenly caught fire. Thanks to Nelson's actions, the crew of the brig was saved.
In 1779, twenty-year-old Nelson became a full captain and received command of the 28-gun frigate Hinchinbrook. In the first independent voyage off the coast of America, he captured several loaded ships, the prize amount was about 800 pounds, he sent part of this money to his father.
In 1780, on the orders of Admiral Parker, Nelson left Jamaica, landed troops at the mouth of the San Juan River, the goal was to capture Fort San Juan. The fort was taken, but without Nelson, who was ordered to return to Jamaica, which saved his life, as most of the sailors died of yellow fever. The patient was treated in the house of Admiral Parker, where he was adopted as a son. With the first ship he is sent to England for treatment. He arrives in the resort town of Bath, from where he writes: “I would give anything to be in Port Royal again. Lady Parker is not here, and the servants pay no attention to me, and I wallow like a log. The recovery went slowly. He visits Brother William in Norfolk, learns about his brother's desire to become a ship's chaplain. This terrifies Horatio, he, like no one else, knowing the morals of the sea, realizes that this is an incredibly difficult and thankless task. However, the brother remains at his opinion.
An appointment to the Albemarle soon followed, he was sent to Denmark, then served in Quebec. Here Horatio met his first love - the 16-year-old daughter of the Chief of the Military Police, Mary Simpson. It is evident from his letters that he had never before experienced such feelings and had no experience in matters of love. He dreamed that he would take Mary home and live quietly with her in rural Norfolk: “What is the fleet to me and what is my career now when I have found true love!”. However, indulging in dreams, the lover did not even bother to ask Mary about her feelings for him. Friends persuaded him not to make an offer for the time being and to test his feelings by going to New York, the Albemarle's new home port. Here he met Prince William, the future King of England, William IV. The prince recalled: "When Nelson arrived in his launch, he seemed to me a boy in the form of a captain."
In 1783, taking a vacation, he travels with a friend to France, he is unpleasantly surprised by this country - the eternal enemy of England. There, Nelson falls in love with a certain Miss Andrews, but he never achieves reciprocity from her. He leaves for London and from there writes to his brother: “There are so many temptations in London that a man’s life is spent entirely on them.” To the surprise of many, Nelson wants to become a parliamentarian and lobby for the interests of the Admiralty in Parliament, however, when the First Lord of the Admiralty invites him to return to service, he immediately agrees, so politics was over. He was offered the frigate "Boreas", which was supposed to carry out sentinel service in the West Indies. Nelson had to include his brother William in the staff of the ship, who never gave up the idea of carrying the Good News to the sailors. At the port of Deal, the captain learns that the Dutch have captured 16 English sailors, he sends an armed detachment aboard the Dutch ship and opens cannon ports, as a result, the sailors were released and replenished the Borea team. In 1784, the frigate entered the harbor of the island of Antigua, it was put in order and loaded with supplies. Meanwhile, the captain managed to meet and fall in love with Jane Moutray, the wife of the representative of the Admiralty in Antigua, and soon the official was recalled to England and his beautiful wife left with him. Brother William, disillusioned with the position of the ship's chaplain, took to drink and fell seriously ill, he had to be sent home to England.
Nelson did not have a relationship with the commander either. Nelson's main task in the West Indies was to control compliance with the Navigation Act, according to which goods could be imported into English colonial ports exclusively on English ships, thus, English merchants and shipowners received a monopoly on trade and at the same time this act supported the British fleet.
After the United States gained independence, American ships became foreign and could not trade on the same terms, but the market formed and the Americans continued to trade. Local English officials knew about this, but were silent, as they received a significant percentage of smuggling. Nelson believed that if American trade harmed England, it should be eradicated. Subsequently, he recalled: “When they were colonists, the Americans owned almost all trade from America to the West Indies, and when the war ended, they forgot that having won, they became foreigners and now have no right to trade with the British colonies. Our governors and customs officials pretend that under the Navigation Act they have the right to trade, and the people of the West Indies want what suits them. Having previously notified the governors, customs officers and Americans of what I was going to do, I captured many ships, which turned all these groups against me. I was driven from one island to another, for a long time I could not even get off the land. But my unshakable moral rules helped me to survive, and when this problem was sorted out better, I received support from my homeland. I proved that the position of the captain of a warship obliges him to comply with all maritime laws and carry out the instructions of the Admiralty, and not be a customs officer. Complaints were written against Nelson, but the king promised him his support in the event of a trial. The captain could not even imagine that not only the local governor general and squadron commander, but also a huge number of London officials were fed from the West Indian smuggling, so he acquired many high-ranking enemies in the capital.
New life stage
began with Nelson being asked to bring John Herbert's niece, Miss Perry Herbert, to the island of Barbados. Upon arrival, he was invited to visit and there he first saw Herbert's second niece, the young widow Frances Nisbet, in the home circle she was affectionately called Fanny, she had a son from her first marriage. Nelson fell in love immediately: "I have not the slightest doubt that we will be a happy couple, and if we don't, then it's my fault." On March 11, 1787, their wedding took place.
In 1787, Nelson left the West Indies, he was going home, Fanny and his son left a little later. In 1793, with the outbreak of war against France, he received the post of captain of a battleship in the Mediterranean squadron of Admiral Samuel Hood. In the same year, he took an active part in the hostilities near Toulon, in July 1794 he commanded a landing force in Corsica, having been wounded in his right eye during the siege of the fortress of Calvi, and on July 13, 1795 he distinguished himself in a naval battle, forcing the surrender of a French ship, which was much superior by the strength of his own.
February 14, 1797 participated in the battle at Cape St. Vincent (the extreme southwestern tip of Portugal). On his own initiative, he brought his ship out of line formation of the squadron and carried out a maneuver that was of decisive importance for the defeat of the Spanish fleet. Two of the four Spanish ships captured by the British were boarded under the personal command of Nelson, who received the Knight's Cross of the Order of the Bath and the rank of rear admiral of the blue flag (blue squadron) for this battle.
In July 1797, during an unsuccessful attempt to capture the port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Nelson lost his right arm.
Since 1798, he commanded a squadron sent to the Mediterranean Sea to counter the Egyptian expedition undertaken by France in 1798-1801. The English squadron failed to prevent the landing of French troops in Alexandria, but on August 1-2, 1798, Nelson managed to defeat the French fleet at Aboukir, cutting off the army of Napoleon Bonaparte in Egypt, Nelson himself was wounded in the head. As a reward, George III made Nelson peer-baron of Neal and Burnham Thorpe. In August 1799, for the restoration of Ottoman rule in Egypt, he was awarded the Order of the Crescent by Sultan Selim III and granted a Chelenk (Chelenk (tur. celenk) - a distinction used in the Ottoman Empire, a silver decoration for a turban in the form of a sultan, showered with precious stones. It had the shape of a flower with petals, from which 13 rays went up). (photo 4)
Chelenki were made at the expense of the treasury and were issued as a reward to those who especially distinguished themselves in battle.
In Naples, where Nelson was sent to help the Kingdom of Naples in the fight against France, he began an affair with the wife of the English ambassador, Lady Emma Hamilton (photo 3), which lasted until the death of the admiral. Emma bore him a daughter, Horace Nelson. Nelson did not have time to help Naples, and the city fell into the hands of the French. After the liberation of Naples by the Russian squadron of Admiral F.F. Ushakov and the surrender of the French garrison, Nelson, despite the protests of the Russian allies, tarnished his name with a brutal reprisal against French prisoners and Italian republicans. On February 12, 1799, he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral of the Red Flag.
In 1801 he was the 2nd flagship in the squadron of Admiral Hyde Parker during operations in the Baltic Sea and the bombardment of Copenhagen, then commanded a squadron in the English Channel, which was formed to counter the French Boulogne flotilla. In 1803-1805 he commanded a Mediterranean squadron operating against France and Spain. In September 1805, Nelson's squadron blocked the Franco-Spanish fleet in Cadiz, and on October 21 defeated it at the Battle of Trafalgar, in which Nelson was mortally wounded by a French sniper on the first day of the battle, while advancing on the combined forces of the French and Spanish fleets.
Nelson's body was taken to London and on January 9, 1806, he was solemnly buried in St. Paul's Cathedral (photo 5).
There is a common misconception that Admiral Nelson wore an eyepatch over his right eye. However, it is not. Indeed, in the battles in Corsica, he received a shrapnel wound in his right eye with sand and stone chips. He was immediately bandaged and he returned to battle. He did not lose his eye, but he began to see worse.
The body of the admiral was taken to London in a barrel of brandy. This is where the myth arose that supposedly sailors secretly drank from this barrel through straws from their superiors. This is unlikely, because the body of the deceased was guarded around the clock.
It is mentioned that the admiral had severe seasickness.
Someone Al-termezi, in the heat of a plaintive mood, wrote in one of the comments for EREMA: "Now about the artificial stone, what is there to argue, the five-meter statue of Nelson in Trafalgar Square is a typical example of cast stone. I must say, an example of a very good preservation." After such a statement, as well as after numerous attempts to expose the columns of St. Petersburg, as made of artificial stone, or on the machines by ancient builders, and so on, I decided to look for information about other columns in the world. It is quite understandable that Admiral Nelson's column in Trafalgar Square was the first on my list.
background
The Battle of Trafalgar took place on October 21, 1805 at Cape Trafalgar on the Atlantic coast of Spain near the city of Cadiz.
"The Napoleonic Wars (1800-1815) became the culmination of the Second Hundred Years' War. Never before and never later did the struggle between England and France reach such intensity as in this period. Napoleon was driven not only by the thirst for new victories, but also by the realization that England was the most important and the implacable enemy of France. Napoleon understood that, thanks to his superbly established diplomacy and rich finances, Great Britain would continuously recruit and set on France more and more new opponents. To stop this situation, Bonaparte wanted a direct military clash with England ... In 1804, Bonaparte developed a risky, but, it seems, the only plan that gave a chance of victory.Napoleon intended to gather into a fist all the ships available to him in order to create a significant preponderance of forces in the English Channel for a short time, to suppress the English coastal fleet and have time to make an amphibious landing in this time. "The plan was fully worked out and ready for implementation when, in August 1804, La touches-Treville is the only talented French naval commander. The operation was delayed by almost half a year while Napoleon chose his replacement from among the remaining mediocrities.
In the end, the choice was made on Pierre Villeneuve (1763-1806)...
"The most interesting thing is that from the point of view of modern military historians, Villeneuve had a real chance to break through to the English Channel, since the British naval commanders could not coordinate for a long time, it was only necessary to show sufficient courage. However, when he received the order to give up his post in favor of Admiral Rossilli and go to France to answer for his disobedience, on October 21, 1805, Villeneuve unexpectedly sent a squadron towards Brest.
It was absolutely suicidal. Soon, near Cape Trafalgar, not far from Cadiz, the allied squadron was discovered and attacked by the English under the command of Admiral Nelson. The numerical superiority was on the side of the allies: 33 battleships and 7 frigates against 27 and 6, respectively. However, the British used an unexpected and bold tactic: while the French were marching in one line, the British broke into their system with two wedges and, dividing, began to smash in parts. The master plan was explained in detail to the captains of the English ships and instructions were given: if the signals of the flagships are not visible, then you should simply attack any nearest enemy ship in all possible ways. At the same time, the allies did not have a single clear plan and fought scattered. The English gunners simply suppressed the French and Spaniards with their fire: they could fire one volley per minute, and their opponents only once every three minutes. The battle began at 12 o'clock in the afternoon, but by 14 o'clock many allied ships fled in disarray or began to surrender, and by 18-30 the last pockets of resistance were suppressed. The British won a complete victory.
Admiral Horatio Nelson (1758-1805), who led the English fleet and achieved this high rank solely due to personal qualities, was perhaps the best naval commander of his time.
In this battle, they did not lose a single ship, and a total of 21 (10 of which were Spanish) ships of the line were captured from the French and Spaniards and one burned down. Manpower losses amounted to 449 dead and 1214 wounded and maimed, with a total number of 16 thousand people from the British side and 4480 dead, 2250 wounded, 7000 captured out of 20 thousand people from the allies. The heaviest loss of the British was the death of Admiral Nelson: before the battle, he put on his full dress uniform with all orders, and therefore was identified and mortally wounded by a French sniper. The Spanish admiral Federico Gravina (1756-1806), whom Napoleon personally praised and put above Villeneuve in all combat qualities, managed to save a third of his ships, but received such severe wounds in the thick of the battle that he died a few months after the battle. As for Villeneuve himself, he was captured by the British, but then was released on parole not to wage war against them. Upon arrival at home, he soon died under mysterious circumstances. The official statement said that he committed suicide, unable to bear the shame of defeat, but 6 stab wounds speak more of a contract killing. Apparently it was the revenge of Bonaparte.
The news of the defeat in the Battle of Trafalgar confused all Napoleon's plans: the allied fleet was destroyed, the landing in England became impossible, and the defeat of Great Britain was postponed indefinitely." http://www.cult-turist.ru/arti...
History of the project and construction
After the solemn funeral in 1806 of Lord Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar - the first state funeral ever held for a commoner - London was too slow to perpetuate his memory. John Julius Angerstein opened a fundraiser to create a memorial, but the amount raised was not enough to erect a monument corresponding to the dignity of Nelson, and the idea of \u200b\u200bbuilding was postponed for several years.
Nelson's Column in Dublin
More than thirty years after Nelson's death at the Battle of Trafalgar, the government announced plans to erect a monument to him in a large new square at Charing Cross. Even at the time, such a delay was considered a disgrace (calls for Nelson's memory to be memorialized in central London began immediately after his death in 1805). Smaller monuments began to be built in various places - from the far west of Ireland to Scotland. The first monuments in honor of Nelson were erected in various cities, including Castletownend in County Cork and Glasgow in the year of his death. Two years later, a statue-topped tall Doric column was erected in the center of Dublin. The Dublin Column was destroyed in 1966, so the oldest surviving columns are one ironically erected in the city of Montreal (Canada) by a fan of the French and a monument to the admiral erected in 1809 by Norfolk merchants.
Monument to Nelson in Montreal
monument in Norfolk
The 143-foot obelisk was displayed on Glasgow Green in 1806 - a stone pillar on Portsdown Hill overlooking Portsmouth Harbour.
John Knox "Nelson Monument Glasgow Green struck by lightning"
Monument to Nelson in Bridgetown (Barbados) 1813
So a Nelson memorial committee was set up, chaired by Admiral Sir George Cockburn and Sir Thomas Hardy, for the purpose of erecting a statue or memorial of Nelson somewhere in London. They enlisted the financial help of a number of famous people, including the Prime Minister Lord Melbourne and the Duke of Wellington, and it was decided that Trafalgar Square was the most appropriate site for the monument. The fund, created by Angerstein about thirty years earlier, was abandoned, interest accrued at a good rate, formed the basis of a new fund. Further money was collected by subscription, including five hundred pounds received from Queen Victoria, the Tsar of Russia donated a quarter of the funds. A project competition was held, in which about one hundred and forty outstanding artists participated. The designs were exhibited at John Nash's former home on Regent Street.
Unrealized Nelson Monument Projects
Won the project of William Railton (William Railton) similar to the Dublin column. The erected column may appear tall, but Railton's original design was 30 feet taller and was scaled down in subsequent revisions (for money was tight, the monument's construction was taken over by the government, which in turn was looking for ways to cut costs). The stone for the Corinthian column was brought by ship around the coast and up the Thames from Foggin Tor in Devon. A steam crane was used to lift parts of the column.
The work was carried out by the firm of Grissell and Peto, who were simultaneously building the new parliamentary chambers. The bronze capital with volutes and acanthus leaves was cast in bronze at Woolwich.
The stone statue of Nelson crowning the column was designed by sculptor Edward Hodges Bailey, who won second place in the competition. He planned to create a figure from a single piece of sandstone from the quarry of the Duke of Buccleugh near Edinburgh, but such a stone turned out to be too heavy to transport and lift into place. Therefore, the statue was made of three parts: two for the body and a third for the base on which he stands at the top of the column. Legend has it that just before the admiral's statue was erected, a group of workers dined on the grounds for it. The weight of the sculpture was so great that it took two days to lift it piece by piece, one day for the bottom half and one day for the top half. The column and the statue were in place only in November 1843.
According to Railton's plan, the monument was to commemorate Nelson's biggest victories - the battles at Cape St. Vincent, Copenhagen, the Nile and Trafalgar - with large bronze reliefs on four sides of the column's plinth. These sculptured bas-reliefs were made by four different artists. They were completed and erected on site at various times between 1849 and 1851. During this time, Musgrave Lewthwaite Watson, designer of the Cape St. Vincent relief, died of a heart attack, and his work was completed by William Frederick Woodington (cast by the sculptor Nile).
The Battle of Cape St Vincen (The Battle of Cape St Vincen)
The foundry owners responsible for the Trafalgar treaties were convicted and jailed for fraud when they were found to have adulterated bronze and cast iron and plaster and used false weights to estimate the cost of materials.
Making a model for casting
The four huge bronze lions on granite plinths that guard the column at its base were also a challenge. The budget was set at £3,000, but after six years of wrangling, the sculptor withdrew his project because he felt the sculptures could not be made at that price. A second artist delivered stone lions, but they were rejected and are currently located near Bradford. The commission turned to the talented but "unreliable" Sir Edwin Landseer, famous for his oil portraits of animals. It was a surprising decision as he had never sculpted before. The government failed to achieve its goal of cutting costs: one pay to Landseer was six thousand pounds sterling and another eleven thousand was spent on labor and materials, a total of almost six times the original budget. Landseer's Lions were discovered in early 1867.
Although the collected money to start construction in 1843. enough, but the funds to ensure the quick completion of the monument, still was not enough. A public discussion of the problem ensued, as people compared London to Paris and its shameful lack of monuments and landmarks honoring national heroes. Moreover, the French suffered losses at Trafalgar, so London was not allowed to be on a par with Paris. In this atmosphere, denying the honor to Nelson was an unacceptable option, and the government stepped in with a grant of £12,000. However, Lord Lincoln, who was the responsible head of the Office of Works and Buildings, wanted to reduce costs. As a result, the original plans were scaled down. The height of the column was cut by 30 feet after Victorian advocates of health and safety culture argued that the 200-foot structure was dangerously tall. Stone lions were also abolished.
The final cost of the memorial was £47,000 (equivalent today to £4 million).
More than sixty years after Nelson's death, and almost thirty years after the decision to build the original William Railton monument, the monument was completed, albeit with minor changes and at a greatly increased cost.
A 170-foot, 2,500-ton corrugated column of strong Dartmoor granite in the sky above London's Trafalgar Square
William Railton's 1:50 scale stone model of the column shows that he envisioned an even more magnificent structure, 200 feet high, standing on a high stepped pedestal guarded by four huge stone lions. But the finished column was 30 feet shorter, and at first there were no lions with it. Angry at what he saw as the emasculation of his design, Railton refused to attend the monument's grand opening ceremony in 1853.
A photograph from the construction of Nelson's Column, taken by William Talbot in 1844, has been preserved. This is one of the earliest photographs of Trafalgar Square.
At the top of the column stands an 18 foot sandstone statue of Lord Nelson.
As usual, not everyone was impressed by the majestic memorial - the new statue caused controversy. The Times called the column "a great national ugliness" and one correspondent described it as "a monument to the supreme endurance of our own bad taste". Mogg management in London said the monument was not "worthy of a hero". The management argued that the French handled such things better, since public funding for such work was guaranteed by the appropriate grants. The Illustrated London News noted the "rudeness" of the workmanship of Nelson's statue, which was - for a short time (in 1843) on the ground before being raised to the capital of the column. Over 100,000 people paid to see it.
Nelson's Column survived, nobly enduring whatever was thrown at it, including lighters, and more than a century of untold pollution from coal fires, industrial chimneys, and 20th-century car exhausts. Fortunately, the monument is made of granite and sandstone and is immune to acid rain. Anything of marble or limestone would be in a terrible state these days.
When the monument was taken over by restorers in 2006, the column was in excellent condition, and even a lightning strike that damaged the statue's shoulder did not weaken it, as had been feared.
A bit of history about Nelson's Column in Dublin
Dublin column
After the victory of the English fleet at Trafalgar and the death of Horace Nelson, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, James Vance, did not hesitate to convene a group of prominent figures: bankers, nobility, clergy, merchants, etc., to choose one of the ways to honor the memory of Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar. The choice was in favor of building a monument-column. The original design was by William Wilkins. This project included a Roman galley on top of a column. Later, the architect Francis Johnston changed the original design to accommodate Nelson's statue in place of the galley. Porch at street level designed by G.P. Spatula and was added in 1894.
On the anniversary of Trafalgar Day, October 21, 1809, the monument was opened to the public. Visitors could enter the column and go upstairs to contemplate the city of Dublin from there. But in fact the monument has always caused a lot of complaints, either because it was seen as an obstacle to traffic or a symbol of British imperialism. In any case, the monument survived until 1966, when, after being damaged by a bomb, it had to be removed.
In March 1966, at 1:32 a.m., a statue of Admiral Nelson on a 121-foot (36.9 m) Doric column on O'Connell Street was destroyed by a bomb explosion. In this way, some Irish Republicans celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the Easter Rising.
Similar
It should be noted that Nelson's Column in London is not entirely unique.
A similar column is the Lord Hill Monument in Shrewsbury (Shrewsbury England) - a monument to the famous warrior Ruald Hill by the sculptor Joseph Panzetta.
It is the tallest Doric column in England: 133 feet 6 inches (40.7 m) high. The column was built between 1814 and 1816; its diameter is 2 feet (0.6 m) larger than Nelson's column.
The statue of Lord Hill was modelled in Lithodipyra (Coade stone) by Joseph Panzetta who worked for Eleanor Coade.
The pedestal is square with a pier of buttress at each angle, on which are placed recumbent lions, worked of Grinshill stone (the same as the column) by John Carline of Shrewsbury. The pedestal area with a backwater pier at each corner, on which are placed recumbent lions, is made of Grinshill stone (the same as the column) by John Carline of Shrewsbury.
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Statues are a special kind of art, which consists in creating images of those individuals who have made a special contribution to the history of the development of individual states and the whole world. A large number of statues are dedicated to military professionals who defended their own country and conquered new lands. One of these prominent personalities was the Vice Admiral of the Fleet of Great Britain, Viscount Horatio Nelson.
Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson - biography.
Horatio Nelson was born in 1758 in the family of a priest. In Horatio's family, besides him, there were 11 more children, the boy did not stand out among his brothers, he was often sick, and did not show a keen interest in learning. At the age of 12, Horatio went as a cabin boy to the fleet of his uncle, who taught him everything he knew about maritime affairs. Thanks to his uncle, the young man went on many voyages on the largest ships and achieved a high naval rank. A significant role in the service of Horatio brought his confidence and courage. In 1777, Horatio went to the frigate Lowestoff and took part in the American Revolution. In battle, Horatio Nelson showed himself as a real hero, skillfully coped with all the tasks and saved the lives of others. Already at the age of 20, Horatio became a captain and received command of his first frigate. Nelson also served in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic battles. In 1801, Horatio received the rank of vice admiral.
In honor of the great achievements and successful command of the British fleet, as well as in memory of the tragic death of the admiral in the Battle of Trafalgar, a Admiral Nelson's column(Eng. Nelson's Column). The column is located on Trafalgar Square and is a high statue mounted on a pedestal, the upper part of which is decorated with a bust of Horatio Nelson. The bust reaches a height of 5.5 meters, the total height of Nelson's column is 46 meters. The column is decorated with bronze elements; bronze leaves are located on its top. At the foot there is a plaque with the name of the author of the column. In 1867, new details were added to the foot - four lions.
By Nelson's Column in London was Edward Bailey, a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, erected a column in the period from 1840 to 1843. The place of installation of the sculpture was Trafalgar Square, Nelson looks towards the Admiralty and Portsmouth, where her flagship, the Royal Navy ship HMS Victory, is located. This fact is a symbol of the fact that Admiral Horatio Nelson remains true to his cause and his flagship even in death.
The highest Nelson Column, where famous TV presenters managed to visit, conquering its top, is one of the highest points in London and the most famous monument to the military admiral.
Nelson's Column in London is a legend.
There are many legends about this column. The most common of them are the interest in the column of Adolf Hitler, who wanted to take Nelson's statue to Berlin, and the sale of the statue to the Americans by the fraudster Arthur Ferguson. But, despite all the folk stories, Admiral Nelson's column continues to confidently stand in its rightful place.
The cost of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square is approximately $6 million, which is quite a large sum even for a monarchical state. Also, a fairly large amount of money was allocated in 2006 for the restoration of the column, it was sponsored by Zurich Financial Services AG. In anticipation of the restoration, a thorough laser examination of the dimensions of the column was carried out, which showed that its real height differs from the named one and is about 52 meters. Nonetheless, Nelson's Column in London is a real landmark of Great Britain and a historical monument of the great naval battles.
The monument to Nelson occupies the main place on the largest, light-colored stone-paved terrace in Trafalgar Square.
Cast in bronze by the sculptor Bailey, the figure of the admiral crowns a granite column with a bronze Corinthian capital, erected in 1839-1842 by William Railton. Nelson's Column high - 44 meters, besides raised on a mighty pedestal. From this, the five-meter figure of the admiral standing on it seems disproportionately small.
At the foot of the monument, four huge bronze lions froze - 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 down 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, which forced him to divorce his own wife and endure much suffering.
Lord Nelson was honored with his own column rather 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 built 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 Wrenn, in memory of the fire of 1666, but later such columns were no longer built.
On July 22, 2006, 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 a 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. Such dimensions were indicated in guidebooks around London. However, laser measurements after restoration confirmed that the column had shrunk.
Nelson's Column was installed in Trafalgar Square in 1842. More than a hundred years ago, lightning struck the left hand of the statue of Admiral Nelson. 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 mayor of London on pigeons, which led to a ban on tourists feeding these birds in Trafalgar Square, was in vain. The mayor claimed that the pigeons littered Nelson's monument with droppings. In fact, this is not the case: only swallow droppings were found on Nelson's shoulders and hat. Ornithologists say that it makes no sense for pigeons to climb to such a height, because there is no food for them there.
