Hashtags and History at The Monument

If you want to combine your love of hashtags and history, then why not try the Monument Step Challenge at London’s famous towering City landmark? Visitors can put their fitness levels to the test to see if they can climb the 311 steps  up to the observation gallery at the top of The Monument and back down again in under three minutes. Participants can share their journey by posting photos and selfies on twitter using the hashtag #stepchallenge Although the social media element is a fairly new concept, people have been attempting the challenge since September 1730, when a wager was made in the Baptist Head Tavern to see if anyone could complete the challenge. Rumour has it that a challenger once accomplished the feat in two minutes and a half and two seconds.

So, feeling brave, I too donned my  trainers  to see how long it would take me to reach the top of the famous landmark, which stands proudly at the junction of Monument Street and Fish Street Hill in the City of London. I worked in The City during my 20s and I passed Monument many times. I always admired it but had no idea it also boasted a spiral staircase all the way to the top. Clearly, I should have paid more attention to my history class when I was young because if I did then I would have known that The Monument was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the Great Fire of London and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City. Feeling optimistic, I entered the landmark and was quietly confident as the base of the staircase is wide.

Foolishly, I looked up and soon became daunted at the prospect of climbing up what appeared to be an endless spiral staircase. Although the staircase gets narrower the higher you climb, there are lots of little alcoves in the walls where you can sit and rest to catch your breath. Also, there are window slits throughout the column, which lets in natural light and shows you how high you’re getting. Unfortunately, for me, I didn’t even come close to the avenge speed of around 4 to 5 minutes.

In fact, I did it in eight minutes. I could blame it on the fact that I was with my five-year-old son, but that reality is it is because I am simply unfit. Despite all the huffing and puffing on the way up, all that was forgotten when I was greeted with the most spectacular views of London. There were many ooohs and aaahs as we spotted The Gherkin, The Shard, the top of St Paul’s Cathedral and even The London Eye.

We took on the Monument step challenge on a particularly windy day, and I would advise wearing gloves, a scarf and a hat if you visit on a similarly chilly day – especially if you’re travelling with little ones. And speaking of little ones, the attraction was full of them, possibly a result of the fact that The Great Fire of London is now a part of the key stage one national curriculum. So if you have children with you, it’s great to point out the nearby Pudding Lane, which is where the fire began on Sunday 2nd September 1666 – destroying the greater part of the City. 

And if you’re looking for more of a history lesson, you can pick up leaflets that are jam packed with information on how Sir Christopher Wren and his colleague, Dr Robert Hooke, provided a design for a colossal Doric column in the antique tradition. They drew up plans for a column containing a cantilevered stone staircase of 311 steps leading to a viewing platform. This was surmounted by a drum and a copper urn from which flames emerged, symbolizing the Great Fire. The Monument, as it came to be called, is 61 metres high – the exact distance between it and the site in Pudding Lane where the fire began. 

The column was completed in 1677, and in accordance with Wren’s original intention, was at first used as a place for certain experiments of the Royal Society, but vibrations caused by ceaseless traffic proved too great for the success of these experiments and they were discontinued. Since then, the Monument became a place of historic interest, providing visitors with an opportunity to look across London in all directions.

•  Tickets for  The Monument cost £5 for adults, while children from 5 to 15-years-old cost £2.50. Children under 5 are free.