Nelson's Column Trafalgar Square, with scaffold, during cleaning and restoration in 1986

Nelson's Column is the focal point of Trafalgar Square. Admiral Nelson was one of Britain's best-loved heroes, who fought valiantly for his country and won four notable naval battles, at the personal cost of losing an arm and one eye. Nelson's last and most famous battle was fought off the Spanish cape of Trafalgar, when he defeated Napoleon and the French and Spanish fleets; during which he lost his life. Begun in 1840, it took three years to erect this magnificent memorial. The granite column is 185 feet high surmounted by a statue of Lord Nelson. Acanthus leaves, cast from British cannons decorate the top, and at the base are four bronze relief panels cast from armaments captured from the French. These panels depict the four great victories of Admiral Nelson. At the four corners of the monument sit the superb Lions - like four great guardians. They were cast in bronze and designed by Edwin Landseer. A major restoration of Nelson’s Column was started in April and completed in July 2006. This is only the third time the whole monument has undergone restoration. Previous restoration work to the entire monument took place in 1968 and in 1986, although the statue of Nelson at the top of the column has been cleaned on several occasions. The largest part of the statue is the column itself. The granite pillar, over 46m tall, is modeled upon Corinthian columns found at Mars Field in Rome. Atop the column is a 5.5m sandstone lifelike model of the admiral and lord himself, Horatio Nelson. It was sculpted by E.H. Baily of the Royal Academy. The original sculpture, a 2.3m model of the whole statue is still on display at the National Maritime Museum in the Greenwich suburb of London.

Nelson's Column Trafalgar Square, with scaffold, during cleaning and restoration in 1986

Nelson's Column is the focal point of Trafalgar Square. Admiral Nelson was one of Britain's best-loved heroes, who fought valiantly for his country and won four notable naval battles, at the personal cost of losing an arm and one eye. Nelson's last and most famous battle was fought off the Spanish cape of Trafalgar, when he defeated Napoleon and the French and Spanish fleets; during which he lost his life. Begun in 1840, it took three years to erect this magnificent memorial. The granite column is 185 feet high surmounted by a statue of Lord Nelson. Acanthus leaves, cast from British cannons decorate the top, and at the base are four bronze relief panels cast from armaments captured from the French. These panels depict the four great victories of Admiral Nelson. At the four corners of the monument sit the superb Lions - like four great guardians. They were cast in bronze and designed by Edwin Landseer. A major restoration of Nelson’s Column was started in April and completed in July 2006. This is only the third time the whole monument has undergone restoration. Previous restoration work to the entire monument took place in 1968 and in 1986, although the statue of Nelson at the top of the column has been cleaned on several occasions. The largest part of the statue is the column itself. The granite pillar, over 46m tall, is modeled upon Corinthian columns found at Mars Field in Rome. Atop the column is a 5.5m sandstone lifelike model of the admiral and lord himself, Horatio Nelson. It was sculpted by E.H. Baily of the Royal Academy. The original sculpture, a 2.3m model of the whole statue is still on display at the National Maritime Museum in the Greenwich suburb of London.