Skip to content

Nelson Monument - 200 years

Nelson Monument - 200 years
Nelson Monument - 200 years
Browse this collection of images dating from the early 1800s of the Nelson Monument, from both near and far demonstrating its enduring prominence to Edinburgh's skyline.

The Nelson Monument was built to commemorate Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson. Nelson died at the Battle of Trafalgar, off the coast of Southern Spain, in 1805, while fighting the combined French and Spanish navies.

The monument's architect Robert Burn, used a design similar to that of the Bridewell Prison on Regent Road below and reminiscent of an upturned telescope. The monument was positioned on the highest part of the hill, with a viewing platform and signalling function. The foundation stone was laid in 1807 and by 1808 the main tower was built but then money ran out. In 1814, the city took over the project, and the ground floor rooms were finished by 1816.

In 1852, the time ball was added to the monument to help sailors know the exact time when working out longitude. Navigators needed to be able to work out longitude to enable them to take the shortest and safest routes around the world. The fortunes of the Empire depended on trade routes by sea.

Astronomers worked out the time at observatories and the time balls allowed ships' captains to set their chronometers accurately without leaving the decks of their ships. Frederick Ritchie of Edinburgh's famous Ritchie & Son Clockmakers worked with Charles Piazzi Smyth, the Astronomer Royal for Scotland in the creation of the Edinburgh time gun on the Nelson Monument. However on foggy days they couldn't see the signal, so in 1861 the one o' clock gun at Edinburgh Castle was introduced.

In the early days of the Monument, its custodian paid rent but was able to keep the admission charges. At this time, pies, soup and teas were sold and the Nelson Club held dinners there too.

The time ball is still dropped daily (except Sundays) at one o'clock. You can visit the Nelson Monument and climb the 143 steps to the viewing platform. Visit the Edinburgh Museums and Galleries website for visitor information.