Who hasn’t heard of the Tower Bridge or the London Eye?But have you ever heard of the Monument in City of London? I have and I climbed it and I even got a certificate to prove it :).
My husband and I spent a week in Scotland in 2012. Of course, we had flights to Edinburgh via London so on our way back home we had a day in London before our return flight. It was his first ever visit to London and I tried to show him all the usual top tourist attractions and some of my personal favourites as well ( so I took him to my favourite pub for instance). However, in doing so I saw and did a couple of things that were new for me as well. One of them was to see FC Chelsea’s stadium ( he has a thing for visiting football stadiums which I don’t do when I travel alone). Then, I walked around St.Katharine Docks for the first time and I got to see the Tower Bridge opening up to let the ship pass under. Don’t they say it brings luck when you see that? He made fun of me later saying that I visited London so many times but that I had to take him along to get to see the Tower Bridge lifting 🙂 Ohh, and we saw the Royal family in Edinburgh (yes, I saw Kate & William and the Queen and her king in a car in a procession to the cathedral).
We were walking around the City of London when we came across the Monument. I had seen it before but I wasn’t really curious about it. My husband suggested we go inside and climb to the top. It was a great idea. There are 311 steps to the top. From the viewing platform you can see a lot of London such as the St.Paul’s cathedral, the Tower of London or the Shard (which was still in the building stage when we were at the Monument) or the rest of the City of London. It was definitely the cheapest London attraction ever since we only paid 2.50 £ for a single adult ticket (it’s 4 £ now). And when we got down we got the certificate that proves that we climbed it. How cool is that? We got back from that trip with two certificates because we also climbed the Wallace Monument in Stirling, Scotland and got that certificate too.
So, what is actually the Monument? It was built in the 17 th century to commemorate the Great Fire of London (1666) and to celebrate the restoration of the city afterwards. The Great Fire of London was the biggest disaster ever in London since the fire destroyed most of the City but luckily there wasn’t a great loss of life. The Monument stands exactly 61 meters (and that’s his height as well) from the place where the fire originally began (a baker’s house in Pudding Lane).
If you’re looking for a great view of London but don’t want to pay the overpriced ticket for some other attraction look no further and visit the Monument. I’m sure you’ll like it. Unless you’re claustrophobic then please don’t do it, even though the staircase to the top isn’t that narrow.
So, have you been to London? What are your favourite London landmarks? Have you read my previous London posts?:)
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the Red Phone Box travels 
I went up the monument when I was little and learning about the Great Fire at school -it’s made me want to go again haha! Such amazing views 🙂 x
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Yes, indeed.
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I would have been terrified to have to climb that long spiral staircase. I am claustrophobic and can never go on domes or church bell towers because of that (unless there is an elevator, of course). Thanks for joining us for #TheWeeklyPostcard.
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That’s a pity. You’re welcome.
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I love any view, but I especially love The Monument as there is something special about making the climb up there too, rather than going in a lift! 🙂
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Yes:)
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Were you as glad as me with those grips on the bannister as you were going up! I really needed them to pull me up towards the end 🙂 And the descent! Oh my word that was worse and my legs wouldn’t stop going into spasm for the rest of my day. Loved it though and the certificate is extra special as well as signing your name at the top in the book. I love London with a passion having come from there, but my favourite has to be Greenwich, especially the view from the observatory hill across to the Isle of Dogs. Unfortunately visiting the Isle of Dogs (Canary Wharf et al), is not as magical as I remember from years gone by, but the view from Greenwich is spectacular.
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Yes, I was glad:) I like the view of London from Greenwich too:) I liked Canary Wharf too:) Have you done the Emirates Air Line? It’s so cool! Did you read my post on it?
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We have done a lot of touristy things in London, and need to expand our horizons further. Some great tips
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Thanks:)
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Always great to know there’s a more cost-effective way to get a good view of London – thanks for the tip Tanja! 🙂
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You’re welcome:)
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These are wonderful views – on a good weather day I bet you can see for miles!
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Yes, it was cloudy when we visited.
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My kids climbed up to the top of the Monument with their father because they were studying the Great Fire of London at school. They were very pleased with their certificate. I missed out on the certificate but was pretty happy sitting at the bottom with a cup of coffee 🙂 It’s something that a lot of people don’t know about because it is kind of tucked away. Even with a tube stop called Monument, people don’t really think about it.
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Great! I’m sure they loved it.
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This is neat! I would have never thought to go up the London Monument. I’m going to add it to my list of London attractions. Thanks 🙂
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I’m glad to be of help:)
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