| Iconic London monument reopens to public | | | |
| The 202‑ft high structure remained closed for the last 18 months for restoration and repairs, which include the installation of a new viewing platform balustrade and cage, new telescopes as well as improved lighting, cleaner stonework and repairs to the architecture sculpture. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and the City Surveyor, Robert Hooke, the Monument was built between 1671 and 1677. It is the tallest isolated stone column in the world ‑ 202ft high ‑ which is the exact distance between it and Pudding Lane, East London, where the fire is believed to have started from a bakery shop. The major conflagration swept through the central parts of London, from second to 5 September 1666. It consumed 13,200 houses, 87 parish churches, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and most of the buildings of the City authorities. It is estimated that it destroyed the homes of 70,000 of the City’s 80,000 inhabitants. Only few verified deaths were recorded. |
