Brock ' s Monument Brock ' s Monument is a 56 - metre ( 185 ft ) column atop Queenston Heights , in Queenston , Ontario , Canada , dedicated to Major General Sir Isaac Brock , one of Canada ' s heroes of the War of 1812 . Brock and one of his Canadian aides - de - camp , Lieutenant - Colonel John Macdonell , are interred at the monument ' s base , on the heights above the battlefield where both fell during the Battle of Queenston Heights . The current monument was constructed between 1853 and 1856 and is the second such structure to occupy the battlefield . Parks Canada maintains the monument , the most imposing feature of Queenston Heights National Historic Site . History . Brock died by gunshot wound to the chest on the morning of October 13 , 1812 , leading a charge of British regulars and Canadian militia up the Heights to regain the Redan Battery , earlier captured by American infantry forces under Captain John Wool . One of Brock ' s aides - de - camp , John Macdonell was also mortally wounded while attempting to lead a subsequent abortive charge when his mount was shot from beneath him and fell on him . The combined British , Canadian , and First Nations forces eventually won a resounding victory under the command of Major - General Roger Hale Sheaffe . Brock and his aide were initially buried in the north - east corner of Fort George in nearby Niagara - on - the - Lake , then called Newark . This corner has come to be known as Brock ' s Bastion and is immortalised as such by a small stone bearing that inscription . A campaign began among prominent Upper Canadians to honour Brock , whose dramatic death provided a rallying point during and after the war as a symbol of Canadian independence from the United States . This led to the erection of the first Brock ' s Monument , a 135 - foot ( 41 . 1m ) Tuscan column with a viewing platform at the top . Construction began in 1823 , and the monument was inaugurated October 13 , 1824 . On April 17 , 1840 , an explosive charge did serious and irreparable damage to the monument although it failed to bring it down . The attack was presumed to have been orchestrated by Benjamin Lett , an anti - British agitator and participant in the 1837 Rebellion although a subsequent Assize failed to confirm this . Brock and Macdonell ' s remains were removed after the monument ' s disassemblage and reinterred in the Queenston cemetery of the Hamilton family . Second monument . A campaign to rebuild the monument began almost immediately . In 1852 , Toronto architect William Thomas had his design selected for a monument even grander than the first . A master stone carver named Charles Thomas Thomas ( 1820 – 1867 ) supervised the construction and stone carving of Brock ' s Monument . He was an English - born stone carver . Thomas was employed by Worthington Brothers of Toronto , contractors for the stone work on Brock ' s Monument . Construction began in 1853 again using limestone from the nearby Queenston Quarry and was completed three years later . The remains of Brock and Macdonell were led back up Queenston Heights and interred for the fourth time . The monument was officially inaugurated on October 13 , 1859 . A smaller obelisk , closer to the exact site of Brock ' s death , was dedicated by Prince Edward ( later King Edward VII ) , in 1860 . On the re - interment , two oval plates were attached to Brock ' s coffin . They read : " HERE LIE THE EARTHLY REMAINS OF A BRAVE AND VIRTUOUS HERO , MAJOR - GENERAL SIR ISAAC BROCK , COMMANDER OF THE BRITISH FORCES , AND PRESIDENT ADMINISTERING THE GOVERNMENT OF UPPER CANADA , WHO FELL WHEN GLORIOUSLY ENGAGING THE ENEMIES OF HIS COUNTRY , AT THE HEAD OF THE FLANK COMPANIES OF THE 49TH REGIMENT IN THE TOWN OF QUEENSTON , ON THE MORNING OF THE 13TH OCTOBER , 1812 AGED 42 YEARS J . B . Glegg , A . D . C " A 1929 lightning strike severely damaged Brock ' s statue , sending large portions crashing to the ground below . In August 2003 the Friends of Fort George and Parks Canada held a ceremony to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the monument ' s groundbreaking . Engineering inspections carried out in 2003 and 2004 revealed the need for significant restorative work to the structure ' s interior and exterior limestone . Parks Canada closed the monument to the public in 2005 pending repairs . An extensive restoration on the monument began in 2008 and was completed in May 2009 . Improvements included relining the interior walls to protect against condensation as well as battery - powered interior emergency lights to assist with exiting the monument should there be a power loss . Monument features . The main entrance is flanked by two large mulberry trees believed to have been planted during the 1850s . Inside the monument ' s base are a number of brass plaques : Brock and Macdonell ' s epitaphs , a list of donors and builders , and a tribute to the British , Canadian , and First Nations soldiers who died at the Battle of Queenston Heights . The two bodies are interred in crypts within the limestone walls . More recent educational displays outline Brock ' s life , the battle , and the monument ' s history — including a portion of Brock ' s former limestone arm that collapsed in 1929 . A 235 - step spiral staircase up the column leads visitors to a small indoor platform underneath Brock ' s statue . Porthole windows provide views of the surrounding Niagara region and Lake Ontario . The monument , illuminated at night , marks the end of an interpretive historical walking trail that leads down and then up Queenston Heights , recounting key events in the battle .