The Gordon Monument is a neoclassical monument to a slain warrior on the battlefield of Waterloo. The person commemorated is Lt Colonel Sir

Alexander Gordon Alexander Gordon may refer to: * Alexander Gordon, 1st Earl of Huntly (died 1470), Scottish magnate * Alexander Gordon (bishop of Aberdeen) (died 1518), Precentor of Moray and Bishop-elect of Aberdeen * Alexander Gordon, 3rd Earl of Huntly (died ...

(1786–1815). It was erected in 1817 by the siblings of the deceased who included a future Prime Minister,

Lord Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, (28 January 178414 December 1860), styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a British statesman, diplomat and landowner, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite politician and specialist in ...

. The monument takes the form of a severed column, or ''colonne brisée'' to use the French term, reached by a flight of steps. It was designed by the British architect John Buonarotti Papworth, and executed in a type of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

known as Belgian blue stone (

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

: ''pierre bleue''). The

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

features inscriptions and reliefs, including the badge of the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

, the regiment in which Gordon served, with its motto ''

Nemo me impune lacessit ''Nemo me impune lacessit'' (''No one provokes me with impunity'') () was the Latin motto of the Royal Stuart dynasty of Scotland from at least the reign of James VI when it appeared on the reverse side of merk coins minted in 1578 and 1580. ...

Location

The monument is on the boundary between two Francophone

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

, Braine-l'Alleud and

Lasne Lasne (; wa, Lane) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, south east of Brussels. In 2008, Lasne had a population of 14,043. The total area is 47.22 km² which gives a population density of 297 ...

. The historic area commemorating the Battle of Waterloo is currently administered by these municipalities and Waterloo. Other monuments of interest on the Battlefield of Waterloo include one to the

King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; german: Des Königs Deutsche Legion, semantically erroneous obsolete German variations are , , ) was a British Army unit of mostly expatriated German personnel during the period 1803–16. The legion achieved t ...

(''Monument aux Hanovriens'') which was erected in 1818 near the Gordon Monument.

Conservation and heritage status

Conservation

The monument underwent repairs in the 19th century which are recorded on the monument itself. The most recent restoration work in 2012 was part of the refurbishment of the battlefield which was carried out in advance of the 200th anniversary of the battle.

Heritage status

Belgium gave protection to the battlefield in 1914. The current

heritage listing This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

is maintained by the autonomous region of

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

. Consideration is being given to international protection by UNESCO.

Regional protection

Described as an English rather than a British monument (''Monument des Anglais à la mémoire de Gordon''), the Gordon Monument has been included in the ''Patrimoine culturel immobilier classé de la Wallonie'', a heritage register maintained by Wallonia. The battlefield itself is protected by a heritage listing for sites, being on Wallonia's ''Liste du patrimoine immobilier exceptionnel''.

International protection

Belgium has included the battlefield on the tentative list for World Heritage status with the French title ''Le champ de bataille de Waterloo, la fin de l’épopée napoléonienne''. The submission to UNESCO mentions the "colonne Gordon" in the description of the site. File:Monument Gordon 02.JPG,

Column.

File:Monument Gordon 05.JPG,

Top of the column.

File:Monument Gordon 06.JPG,

Ornament (

acroterion An acroterion, acroterium, or akroteria is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the ''acroter'' or plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the pediment of a building in the classical style. An acroterion placed at ...

References

Buildings and structures in Walloon Brabant Buildings and structures completed in 1817 Columns related to the Napoleonic Wars Military monuments and memorials Monumental columns in Belgium Neoclassical architecture in Belgium John Buonarotti Papworth buildings and structures Protected heritage sites in Belgium Waterloo Battlefield locations {{mil-memorial-stub