Nelson Monument

The Nelson Monument is situated on Calton Hill to the North East of central Edinburgh. At 106 feet high it's visible from much of the city centre.

At the time of writing (May 2010) the Nelson monument is operated by Edinburgh City Council and is open to the public Monday to Saturday with tickets costing £3. If you can manage the 143 steps on the winding spiral staircase then you can get some excellent views of Edinburgh and the surrounding area. But hang on to your hats - at that height on top of the hill there's normally quite a powerful wind.

History

The monument was built in the early 19th century following the death of Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. The design resembles a telescope place on one end. This design was created by architect Robert Burn (not to be confused with Scotland's national poet Robby Burns!).

In honour of Nelson, flags spelling out his famous message "England expects that every man will do his duty" are flown from the monument on Trafalgar Day every year.

Time Ball

In 1852 the time ball was added to the monument. This large ball dropped at 1pm every day to give a clear signal to people of the city, especially sailors in ships at the port of Leith and along the Firth of Forth. It was later joined by an audible signal from the one o'clock gun.

After some years of decay the Edinburgh timeball was given a major overhaul courtesy of Edinburgh World Heritage and began working properly again in 2009.

This site is not associated with or endorsed by Edinburgh Council. Details may have changed since this page was written. Contact the venue for latest information, opening times and ticket buying