Editing Nelson's Column (section)

{{short description|Monument in Trafalgar Square, London}}
{{about|the monument in London|the BBC comedy|Nelson's Column (TV series)|the Montreal monument|Nelson's Column, Montreal|the former monument in Dublin|Nelson's Pillar|other obelisks to Nelson|Nelson Monument}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox monument
|monument_name = Nelson's Column
|native_name   = 
|image         = Nelson's Column, Trafalgar Square, London.JPG
|caption       = Nelson's Column, [[Trafalgar Square]]
|coordinates   = {{coord|51|30|27.8|N|0|07|40.7|W|region:GB_scale:500|display=inline,title}}
|location      = London, [[WC postcode area|WC2]]<br />United Kingdom
|designer      = [[William Railton]], [[Edward Hodges Baily]] and Sir [[Edwin Landseer]]<br />Also: [[Musgrave Watson]], [[William F. Woodington]], [[John Ternouth]] and [[John Edward Carew]] (sculptors), [[Grissell and Peto]] (contractors)
|type          = [[Victory column]]
|material      = [[Granite]] and [[bronze]]
|length        = 
|width         = 
|height        = {{convert|169|ft|3|in|m}}
|begin         = 1840
|complete      = 1843
|open          = 1843
|dedicated_to  = [[Admiral Horatio Nelson]]
|map_image     = 
|map_caption   = 
|map_width     = 
|extra         =
}}

'''Nelson's Column''' is a [[monument]] in [[Trafalgar Square]] in the [[City of Westminster]], [[Central London]], built to commemorate Vice-Admiral [[Horatio Nelson]]'s decisive victory at the [[Battle of Trafalgar]] over the combined French and Spanish navies, during which he was killed by a French sniper. The monument was constructed between 1840 and 1843 to a design by [[William Railton]] at a cost of {{GBP|47000|1843|long=no}}. It is a column of the [[Corinthian order]]<ref name="books.google.co.uk">{{cite journal |year=1839 |title=The Selected Design for the Nelson Testimonial |journal=The Art Union |volume=1 |page=100 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=H7TlAAAAMAAJ&q=art+journal+1839 |access-date=30 May 2011}}, p.100</ref> built from [[Dartmoor]] granite. The statue of Nelson at the top was carved from [[Craigleith, Edinburgh|Craigleith sandstone]] by sculptor [[Edward Hodges Baily]]. The four bronze lions around its base, designed by Sir [[Edwin Landseer]], were added in 1867.<ref>{{citation |last=White |first=Colin |title=The Nelson Encyclopaedia |publisher=Chatham Publishing / Lionel Leventhal Limited |location=London |year=2002 |page=178 |isbn=1-86176-253-4}}</ref>

The [[pedestal]] is decorated with four [[bronze]] relief panels, each {{convert|18|ft}} square, cast from captured French guns. They depict the [[Battle of Cape St. Vincent (1797)|Battle of Cape St. Vincent]], the [[Battle of the Nile]], the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|Battle of Copenhagen]] and the [[Battle of Trafalgar|death of Nelson at Trafalgar]]. The sculptors were [[Musgrave Watson]], [[William F. Woodington]], [[John Ternouth]] and [[John Edward Carew]], respectively. The ornate capital upon which Nelson stands is by [[Charles Harriott Smith]].<ref>Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis</ref>

It was refurbished in 2006 at a cost of {{GBP|420000|2006|long=no}}, at which time it was surveyed and found to be {{convert|14|ft|6|in}} shorter than previously supposed.<ref name="Restored naval hero is revealed">{{citation
|title=Restored naval hero is revealed
|publisher=[[BBC News]]
|date= 11 July 2006
|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/5165948.stm}}</ref><ref name="Dawar">{{citation
|title=Nelson's Column is 16ft shorter than everybody thought
|newspaper=The Telegraph
|date=13 July 2006
|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1523653/Nelsons-Column-is-16ft-shorter-than-everybody-thought.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1523653/Nelsons-Column-is-16ft-shorter-than-everybody-thought.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live
| location=London
| first=Anil
| last=Dawar
| access-date=20 May 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The whole monument is {{convert|169|ft|3|in}} tall from the bottom of the pedestal to the top of Nelson's hat. The statue of Nelson is {{convert|17|ft}}.<ref name="Nelson height">{{cite news |title=Nelson's Column is 16ft shorter than everybody thought |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1523653/Nelsons-Column-is-16ft-shorter-than-everybody-thought.html |date=12 July 2006 |access-date=26 April 2025 |work=The Telegraph}}</ref>