Nelson Monument, Glasgow Green, Glasgow.

I find it interesting that Glasgow was the first place in Britain to erect a civic monument dedicated to Horatio, Viscount Nelson, following his victory against the French at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 during which he was shot and killed.

Funding for the 144 foot monument was easily raised by public subscription such was the countrywide outpouring of grief after Nelson's death. The foundation stone was laid in August 1806 and it was reported at the time that 80,000 people attended this event on Glasgow Green. Work on Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London did not start until 1840.

The names of Nelson's most famous engagements are recorded around the base of the monument - Aboukir (1st August, 1798), Copenhagen (2nd April, 1801) and Trafalgar (21st October, 1805).

Since its construction Nelson's monument has provided a focal point for meetings and demonstrations. It also gave rise to the local expression, to "die facing the monument" as Glasgow Green was also used until 1865 as a site for public executions. The last prominent feature that the condemned person saw from the scaffold would be Nelson's monument hence the warning of living a life which might end with the hangman's noose.