Wellington ' s Column Wellington ' s Column , or the Waterloo Memorial , is a monument to the Duke of Wellington standing on the corner of William Brown Street and Lime Street , Liverpool , England . It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II * listed building . History . After the Duke ' s death in 1852 , in common with other cities , Liverpool decided to erect a monument to celebrate his achievements . A committee was established to organise public subscriptions , but the money was slow to come in . A competition was set up in 1856 to find a designer for the column , and this was won by the architect Andrew Lawson of Edinburgh . There were further delays while a suitable site was found , and in 1861 a second competition , this time for the statue of the Duke , was won by George Anderson Lawson , brother of the column ' s designer . The design of the column and plinth closely resembles that of the Melville Monument commemorating Henry Dundas , Lord Melville in St Andrew Square , Edinburgh , itself loosely modelled on Trajan ' s Column in Rome . The foundation stone was laid on 1 May 1861 by the Mayor of Liverpool . There were further delays during construction of the monument due to subsidence , and it was finally completed towards the end of 1865 . These delays resulted in its being " a very late example of a column - monument for Britain " . Description . The foundations of the monument are in Runcorn sandstone , the pedestal is in granite , and the column itself is in Darley Dale limestone . The overall height of the monument is , the column being high and the statue high . It stands on a stepped base with a square pedestal . On each side of the pedestal is a bronze plaque ; at the corners are bronze eagles joined by swags along the sides . Standing on the pedestal is a Roman Doric fluted column . Within the column are 169 steps leading up to a viewing platform . On top of the column is a cylinder surmounted by a cupola on which the bronze statue of the Duke stands . The statue is made from the melted - down bronze from cannons captured at the Battle of Waterloo . The Duke holds a scroll in his right hand , and his left hand rests on the hilt of his sword . The brass plaque on the south of the pedestal is a relief depicting the final charge at the battle of Waterloo . On the east and west faces , the plaques bear the names of the Duke ' s victorious battles . The east panel lists the battles of Assaye , Talavera , Argaum , Busaco , Rolica , Fuentes de Onoro , Vimeiro , Cuidad Rodrigo , Oporto , and Badajoz ; the west panel Salamanca , Bayonne , Vittoria , Orthez , San Sebastian , Toulouse , Nivelle , Quatre Bras , and Waterloo . Also on and around the base of the monument are pre - metric standard Board of Trade measurements of length , the shorter ones being embossed on a bronze panel . Set into the pavement is a brass strip containing the measure of , and a chain of 100 links . The statue is unusual in that it does not face any major civic building or thoroughfare ( as does Nelson ' s Column in London ) . The statue was positioned facing south - east so that Wellington would always be looking towards the site of Waterloo - considered his greatest victory .