The Nelson Monument located within

Glasgow Green Glasgow Green is a park in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde. Established in the 15th century, it is the oldest park in the city. It connects to the south via the St Andrew's Suspension Bridge. History In ...

(a historic public park in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

) is a commemorative

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

built in honour of Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, who had died at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

on 21 October 1805. Funds of £2,075 were raised by subscription, and the foundation stone of the monument was laid with full ceremony on 1 August 1806, on the anniversary of the battle of Aboukir. The monument was finished on 7 August 1807, believed to be the first completed in the UK. It was decorated with four flags, a large crowd watched, and ships at the

Broomielaw Broomielaw is a major thoroughfare in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. It runs beside the River Clyde, on its north bank looking over to Tradeston. Both sides have been marketed as the city's International Financial Services District. History O ...

had their flags hoisted all day. A decision had not then been made on intended inscriptions. The obelisk was designed by the architect David Hamilton. The monument stands tall, and is enclosed by cast iron railings. There are inscriptions on the four sides of its square plinth; one names him as Horatio, Viscount Nelson, and gives the dates of his birth and death, the other three give the name and date of the battles of Aboukir,

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, and

Trafalgar Trafalgar most often refers to: * The Battle of Trafalgar (1805), fought near Cape Trafalgar, Spain * Trafalgar Square, a public space and tourist attraction in London, England Trafalgar may also refer to: Places * Cape Trafalgar, a headland in ...

. The monument has been described as the first in the UK to celebrate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. A plaque in front of the column says it was the first civic monument in Britain to Nelson's victories, funded by a public subscription. The monument was constructed by the mason A. Brockett. Soon after its construction, the obelisk was struck by lightning, leaving a long structural crack in the monument: this event was depicted in a painting by

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

, which is now in the nearby People's Palace museum. In 1965 a tablet was added to the plinth commemorating

James Watt James Watt (; 30 January 1736 (19 January 1736 OS) – 25 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist who improved on Thomas Newcomen's 1712 Newcomen steam engine with his Watt steam engine in 1776, which was f ...

's use of Glasgow Green while thinking about an improved steam engine. The monument became a

category A listed Category, plural categories, may refer to: General uses *Classification, the general act of allocating things to classes/categories Philosophy * Category of being * ''Categories'' (Aristotle) * Category (Kant) * Categories (Peirce) * Category ( ...

building in 1970.

References

Obelisks in Scotland Category A listed buildings in Glasgow Glasgow Green

1806 establishments in Scotland Buildings and structures completed in 1806 {{Glasgow-geo-stub