Its a tall Doric column decorated with dragons near the base and topped with a golden orb.
Its height202 feetcorresponds to the distance from its base to the bakery in Pudding Lane where the fire started.
Wren was personally responsible for the rebuilding of 51 churches including the St Pauls Cathedral.
Naturally, the responsibility for designing the Monument fell upon Wren.
Hooke was a genius whose name has largely been forgotten, but his contributions have endured.
Hooke was also the Surveyor for the City of London.
They also collaborated on the monument, although it was designed largely by Hooke alone.
There is a reason why Hooke took the responsibility of designing the monument.
He had a hidden motive.
This produces a parallax far too small for telescopes of Hookes time to detect.
What Hooke needed was a large telescope, as large as the Monument to the Great Fire of London.
But the structure was not stable enough and kept spoiling his alignment of the lenses.
Hooke decided that stone structure of the Monument would be sturdy enough for his plans.
Hooke made the stone tower hollow.
The flaming urn on top had a hinged lid that could be opened for viewing.
Luckily, Hookes design of the flaming urn was chosen instead.
Sketches of the Monument published on The Graphic, 1891.
Once the monument was completed, in 1677, Hooke got down to business.
All was not lost for Hooke though.
Hooke needed a tall building to conduct experiments that required height.
So far he was using Londons Westminster Abbey or St Pauls Cathedral.
Now he had his very own laboratory.
Also see:The Telescope That Was Too Big To Use
The base of the monument.
Photo credit:carmen_seaby/Flickr
The spiraling staircase looking up.
Photo credit:Judith/Flickr
The crown of fire.
Photo credit:Chris Beckett/Flickr
