War of 1812 Bicentennial

Brock's Monument: Canadian Illustrated News, January 8, 1876

This is the mobile site for warof1812-bicentennial.info. View this page on the full site.

Brock's Monument.

As is well known, the first monument raised to the memory of General Brock, on Queenston Heights, was destroyed, in 1840, by a miscreant named Lett, who introduced a quantity of gunpowder in it and exploded it. The new column a splendid sketch of which we present to-day was begun in 1853 and completed in 1856. Upon the solid rock is built a foundation 40 feet square and 10 feet thick of massive stone; upon this the structure stands in a grooved plinth of sub-basement 28 feet square and 27 feet in height, and has an eastern entrance by a massive oak door and bronze pateras, forming two galleries to the interior 114 feet in extent, round the inner pedestal, on the north and south sides of which, in vaults under the ground floor, are deposited the remains of General Brock, and those of his Aide-de-Camp, Colonel McDonell, in massive stone sarcophagi. On the exterior angles of the sub-basement are placed lions rampant seven feet in height, supporting shields with the armorial bearings of the hero—on the north side is the following inscription:

Upper Canada

Has dedicated this monument to the memory of the late

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K. B.,

Provincial Lieut. Governor and Commander of the Forces in this Province, whose remains are deposited in the vault beneath.

Opposing the invading enemy, he fell in action near these heights, On the 13th of October, 1813, In the 43rd year of his age.

Revered and lamented by the people whom he governed, and deplored by the Sovereign to whose service his life had been devoted.

On brass plates, within the column, are the following inscriptions:

In vault underneath are deposited the mortal remains of the lamented

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K. B.,

Who fell in action near these heights on 13th October, 1812,

And was entombed on the 16th October at the bastion of Fort George, Niagara, removed from thence and re-interred under a monument to the eastward of this site on the 13th October 1824, and in consequence of that monument having received irreparable injury by a lawless act on 17th of April, 1840, it was found requisite to take down the former structure and erect this monument—the foundation stone being laid, and the remains again re-interred with due solemnity on the 13th October, 1853.

In a vault beneath are deposited the mortal remains of

Lieut. Col. John McDonell, P.A.D.C.,

And Aide-de-Camp to the lamented

Major-General Sir Isaac Brock, K. B.,

Who fell mortally wounded in the battle of Queenston, on the 13th October, 1812, and died on the following day.

His remains were removed and re-interred with due solemnity on 13th October 1853.

The column is placed on a platform slightly elevated, within a dwarf wall enclosure 75.0 square, with a fosse around the interior. At each angle are placed massive military trophies, in pedestals, in carved stone, 20.0 in height. Standing upon the sub-basement is the pedestal of the order, 16.9 square, and 38.0 in height, the die having on three of its enriched pannelled sides, emblematic basso relievos, and on the north side, fronting Queenston, the battle scene in alto relievo. The plinth of the order is enriched with lion's heads, and wreaths in bold relief. The column is of the Roman composite order, 95.0 in height, a fluted shaft, 10.0 diameter at the base; the loftiest column known of this style; the lower tones enriched with laurel leaves, and the flutes terminating on the base with palms. The capital of the column is 16.0 square, and 12.6 high. On each face is sculpted a figure of victory, 10.6 high, with extended arms, grasping military shields as volutes; the acanthus leaves being wreathed with palms, the whole after the manner of the antique. From the ground to the gallery at the top of the column, is continued a staircase of cut stone, worked with a solid nurel of 235 steps, and sufficiently lighted by loopholes in the fluting of the column, and other circular wreathed openings. Upon the abacus stands the cippas, supporting the statue of the hero, sculpted in military costume, 17.0 high, the left hand resting on the sword, the right arm extended, with baton. The height from the ground to the top of the statue is 190 feet, exceeding that of any monumental column, ancient or modern, known, with the exception of that on Fish Street Hill, London, England, by Sir Christopher Wren, architect, in commemoration of the great fire of 1666, 202 feet high, which exceeds it in height by 12 feet.