Nelson’s Column is a monument in Trafalgar Square in central London. It was built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.

This monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843. The monument followed a design by William Railton and cost £47,000. The column itself falls under the Corinthian column order, and is constructed of Dartmoor granite. The Craigleith sandstone statue of Nelson is by E. H. Baily and the four bronze lions on the base, added in 1867, were designed by Sir Edwin Landseer.

The pedestal is decorated with four bronze relief panels, cast from captured French guns. They depict the Battle of Cape St Vincent, the Battle of the Nile, the Battle of Copenhagen and the Death of Nelson at Trafalgar. The whole monument is 169 feet, 3 inches (51.6 m) tall from the bottom of the pedestal to the top of Nelson’s hat.

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In 2005, the Greater London Authority commissioned DBR London to carry out complete conservation of the entire monument. This included masonry cleaning, stone indenting and repair, grouting and pointing. The project proved extremely popular, attracting worldwide media interest and over five hundred visitors climbed the two hundred step scaffold staircase.

Antique Bronze Limited was responsible for the conservation of the magnificent bronze panels, lions and large Corinthian capital, and D+R Scaffold Group designed and installed the scaffolding.

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In July 2006, DBR held a dinner party at the top of Nelson’s Column to celebrate the end of the monumental conservation project. Read more and see some photos here on Instagram.

More projects by DBR London teams can be found <a href="”> here.

DBR London recently received the Royal Warrant in recognition for quality and excellent service, which can be understood in detail here.