Half Nelson’s Column

TODAY Britons walk a little shorter.

It is our painful duty to report that Nelson’s Column is 16ft shorter than it was yesterday.

We had thought the Trafalgar Square landmark stood at an impressive 185ft. But now we learn in the Mail that it is a mere 169ft high.

This is cruel indeed. And may be a sign of how far Britain has slipped since the monument to the country’s great military leader was erected 163 years ago.

As the Express says, the new measurement comes as “blow to national pride and identity”. Surely it does.

And we wonder how such a mistake could have been made. The Mail says it’s to do with including the height of the supporting plinth on which the column stands.

But we suspect something else. Might it be that Nelson rises and falls with the country’s fortunes?

When designed al those moons ago, in those years of expanding empire, the Column was intended to stand 203ft high.

In times of War, when Britain stood alone against the Germans, the Column shrunk to 185ft.

But now with an empire gone, Nelson is sinking fast. How long before all that we can see of Nelson above the ground is the rosette on his hat? Not very, we’d wager.

Posted: 12th, July 2006 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink