The Nelson Monument (Nelson's Column) is a Grade I listed building in the Westminster local planning authority area, England. First listed on 5 February 1970. A 19th century Monument. 7 related planning applications.
The Nelson Monument (Nelson's Column)
- WRENN ID
- buried-corbel-weasel
- Grade
- I
- Local Planning Authority
- Westminster
- Constituency
- Cities of London and Westminster MP: Rachel Blake (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 5 February 1970
- Type
- Monument
- Period
- 19th century
- Address
- The Nelson Monument (Nelson's Column), Trafalgar Square Wc2, City of Westminster, WC2N 5DS
- OS grid reference
- TQ 300 804
- Coordinates
- 51.50775, -0.12793
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Nelson Monument, commonly known as Nelson's Column, is a memorial column and sculpture located in Trafalgar Square, Westminster. It was constructed between 1839 and 1842, designed by William Railton, with the crowning statue created by E.H. Baily. The bas-relief panels were crafted by J.E. Carew, J. Ternouth, M.L. Watson, and W.F. Woodington, while the lions at the base were added in 1867 by Sir Edwin Landseer.
The monument is made of granite and bronze. It features a tall stepped plinth with lions positioned at the corners, a lofty coursed pedestal adorned with bronze bas-reliefs, and a grand fluted granite column topped with a bronze Corinthian capital and the stone statue of Admiral Nelson. The four bas-relief panels on the pedestal are particularly notable for depicting Nelson's famous naval victories. The lions, designed by Landseer, were cast by Baron Marochetti between 1858 and 1867.
Trafalgar Square, which has been known by this name since 1830, was developed based on an initial proposal by John Nash from 1811-12, and it became a key feature of Nash's Metropolitan - West Strand improvements carried out between 1824 and 1826.
Local climate
The Nelson Monument (Nelson's Column) sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 95% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
More on this building
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- Full EPC report — heating system, energy costs, size, glazing, construction etc.
- Sale history — 2 transactions since 2013
- Related listed building consents — 7 applications
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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