A Monument Makeover

Chichester based Stonemasonry Company Cathedral Works Organisation (Chichester) Ltd wins £3.5m City of London restoration contract.

The Monument is one of the City of London’s most outstanding landmarks and visitor attractions and will be closed for an 18-month programme of improvements and repairs. Repairs to the Monument have been carried out approximately every hundred years, with work last undertaken in 1888.

Sir Christopher Wren’s flame-topped monument to the Great Fire in 1666 is the tallest freestanding column in the world and is a historical landmark in the City. The Portland Stone Monument stands 202 ft high and was completed in 1677.

Cathedral Works Organisation (Chichester) Ltd won the restoration contract from the City of London Corporation; they successfully completed the relocation of Temple Bar in 2004 also for the same client. The consultant architect for the project is Julian Harrap Architects and the structural engineers are Hockley and Dawson.

Today’s project, funded by the City of London, is the most exiting to date, in addition to cleaning and repairing the stonework, and re-gilding the famous golden orb, the project creates a welcome range of new improved facilities These include a new gallery “cage”, new lighting and live views relayed from the gallery to visitors on the ground. New facilities will also enable The Monument to host spectacular fireworks and laser displays.

Cathedral Works started on site in July 2007 and with the site accommodation and power supply in place, then began with erecting the scaffolding structure which will eventually reach an incredible 29 levels, with a lift running on the outside. This element of the works is planned to be completed by the end of October, to enable the external restoration works to begin. Internally the existing services, fixtures and fittings are being removed for the sample cleaning & repairs to be carried out.

The Monument is scheduled to re-open to visitors when the restoration is completed in December 2008. Follow the project on a website set up to show the progress and updated information on www.themonument.info