---
title: "How many steps up The Monument to the Great Fire of London?"
description: "311 steps up The Monument to the Great Fire of London in London, United Kingdom. Open to climb. What that count reaches, the height climbed, and how it compares."
url: https://atoneplace.net/how-many-steps/monument-great-fire-london/
site: "At One Place"
---

# How many steps to the top of The Monument to the Great Fire of London?

**Steps to the top of The Monument to the Great Fire of London: 311**

Reaching the viewing platform below the gilded urn, at 48 m · open to climb

The column is exactly 61 m tall and stands 61 m from the spot in Pudding Lane where the fire started in 1666 — the height is the distance, which is the whole design idea. Christopher Wren and Robert Hooke built it as a working scientific instrument as well as a memorial: a hinged lid in the urn and a laboratory in the basement were intended for zenith telescope and pendulum experiments, abandoned because traffic vibration ruined the readings. The 311 steps are a stone cantilevered spiral. Everyone who completes the climb is given a certificate.

## The numbers

- **Steps:** 311
- **Reaches:** the viewing platform below the gilded urn, at 48 m
- **Public access:** Open to climb
- **Where:** London, United Kingdom
- **Height climbed:** 48 m — 157 ft
- **Average rise per step:** 154 mm

## What the climb is like

About 10 minutes. Narrow spiral, one-way system at busy times; a cage was added to the platform in 1842.

> Published counts for the same structure routinely disagree by five to ten per cent, and nearly always for one of three reasons: whether intermediate landings count as steps, whether the final platform step counts, and where the climb is deemed to start. The figure here says what it reaches.

## How it compares

*Only the ones marked open to climb can actually be walked.*

- Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben): 334 steps
- Washington National Cathedral central tower: 333 steps
- Strasbourg Cathedral: 332 steps
- The Monument to the Great Fire of London: 311 steps
- Wat Phra That Doi Suthep: 306 steps
- Sacré-Cœur dome: 300 steps
- Bunker Hill Monument: 294 steps

*The Monument to the Great Fire of London ranks 40 of 56 here by step count.*

| Structure | Steps | Reaches | Access |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) | 334 | the belfry, where the Great Bell hangs | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Washington National Cathedral central tower | 333 | the top of the Gloria in Excelsis tower, the highest point in the city | Restricted — events or permit only |
| Strasbourg Cathedral | 332 | the platform at 66 m, at the base of the spire | Open to climb |
| The Monument to the Great Fire of London | 311 | the viewing platform below the gilded urn, at 48 m | Open to climb |
| Wat Phra That Doi Suthep | 306 | the temple terrace, from the car park on the mountain road | Open to climb |
| Sacré-Cœur dome | 300 | the dome gallery at 83 m above the basilica floor, 200 m above sea level | Open to climb |
| Bunker Hill Monument | 294 | the observation chamber at 67 m | Open to climb |

## Common questions

### How many steps to the top of The Monument to the Great Fire of London?

311, reaching the viewing platform below the gilded urn, at 48 m.

### Can the public climb The Monument to the Great Fire of London?

Open to climb. About 10 minutes. Narrow spiral, one-way system at busy times; a cage was added to the platform in 1842.

### How high is that climb?

48 m, about 157 ft, which averages 154 mm per step.

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## Sources

- Official vendor product documentation — At One Place (/about/)