Built between 1840 and 1843 to commemorate Britain's greatest naval hero, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, Nelson's Column is the centerpiece of Trafalgar Square and stands over 50 metres high. The four lions which surround the base were not added until 1867.

Having already led the British to victory in several notable naval battles, during which he had already lost an arm and an eye, Nelson lost his life during the famous 'Battle of Trafalgar' aboard HMS Victory in 1805.

Killed by a sniper round, he stayed conscious until after the battle had been won, preventing Napoleon from mounting any attempted invasion of British land. After his famous last words: "Thank God I have done my duty." Nelson's body was then preserved in a barrel of plundered French brandy before being laid to rest as one of only five non-royals ever to receive a state funeral. He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral.

In 1924, a Scottish conman 'sold' Nelson's Column to an unsuspecting American businessman and succeeded in obtaining a down payment of £6,000 for the monument. The same man later moved to America where he 'sold' The White House on a 99-year lease for $100,000 a year!