An inverted telescope on Edinburgh's skyline

The Nelson Monument is a commemorative tower in Edinburgh, Scotland, dedicated to Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson. It was built between 1807 and 1816 to honor Nelson's victory over French and Spanish fleets at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 and his subsequent death at the same battle. Its location on Calton Hill was chosen because it is the highest point, 171 metres above sea-level, replacing an earlier signal mast used for shipping in the Forth.

Construction began in 1807, but work nearly stalled the following year when money ran out. The monument was funded by public subscription, and while painter Alexander Nasmyth initially prepared a pagoda-like design, it was deemed too expensive. Instead, architect Robert Burn provided an alternative design in the form of an upturned telescope - an object closely associated with Nelson. After Burn died in 1815, Thomas Bonnar completed the pentagonal castellated building between 1814 and 1816.

The tower stands 32 metres high and features 143 steps leading to a public viewing gallery. A mechanized time ball was added in 1852 and became operational in March 1854 to signal ships in the port of Leith and the Firth of Forth. The ball, constructed of wood and covered in zinc, is raised just before 1 pm and dropped at precisely 1 pm. The monument was comprehensively restored in 2009 as part of the Twelve Monuments Restoration Project.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons