The Monument, the City of London’s memorial to the Great Fire of London in 1666, for which global construction consultancy Davis Langdon provided cost management services, reopened to the public yesterday(Monday 16 February 2009), following a £4.5 million restoration project.

The 202-ft high structure has been closed for the last 18 months for restoration and repairs, which include the installation of a new viewing platform balustrade and cage, new telescopes as well as improved lighting, cleaner stonework and repairs to the architecture sculpture. The ‘flaming’ orb has been regilded and real-time panoramic views from the top of the Monument will be relayed on a dedicated website.

Laurence Brett, a Partner at Davis Langdon said, “It was a great pleasure to continue working with The City of London Corporation on another landmark, historical London project. We previously worked together on returning the return of Temple Bar to Paternoster Square.”

Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and the City Surveyor, Robert Hooke, the Monument was built between 1671 and 1677. It is the tallest isolated stone column in the world – 202ft high – which is the exact distance between it and Pudding Lane, where the Great Fire of London is believed to have started.