Wellington's Column

After the Duke's death in 1852, in common with other cities, Liverpool decided to erect a monument to celebrate his achievements. A committee was established to organise public subscriptions, but the money was slow to come in. A competition was set up in 1856 to find a designer for the column, and this was won by the architect Andrew Lawson of Edinburgh. There were further delays while a suitable site was found, with sites at the top of Duke Street and Bold Street, in front of the Adelphi Hotel and Prince's Park being considered before the eventual location was settled on. In 1861 a second competition, this time for the statue of the Duke, was won by George Anderson Lawson, brother of the…

The foundations of the monument are in Runcorn sandstone, the pedestal is in granite, and the column itself is in Darley Dale sandstone. The overall height of the monument is 132 ft, the column being 81 ft tall and the statue 25 ft tall. It stands on a stepped base with a square pedestal. On each side of the pedestal is a bronze plaque; at the corners are bronze eagles joined by swags along the sides. Standing on the pedestal is a Roman Doric fluted column. Within the column are 169 steps leading up to a viewing platform. On top of the column is a cylinder surmounted by a cupola on which the bronze statue of the Duke stands. The Duke holds a scroll in his right hand, and his left hand rests…