The Gordon Monument is a neoclassical monument to a slain warrior on the battlefield of Waterloo. The person commemorated is Lt Colonel Sir Alexander Gordon (1786–1815). It was erected in 1817 by the siblings of the deceased who included a future Prime Minister,

Lord Aberdeen George Hamilton-Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen (28 January 178414 December 1860), styled Lord Haddo from 1791 to 1801, was a British statesman, diplomat and landowner, successively a Tory, Conservative and Peelite politician and specialist in fo ...

. The monument takes the form of a severed column, or ''colonne brisée'' to use the French term, reached by a flight of steps. It was designed by the British architect

John Buonarotti Papworth John Buonarotti Papworth (24 January 1775 – 16 June 1847) was a British architect, artist and a founder member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. He adopted the middle name "Buonarotti" in around 1815. As well as being active in ...

, and executed in a type of

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

known as Belgian blue stone (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''pierre bleue''). The

pedestal A pedestal or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In civil engineering, it is also called ''basement''. The minimum height o ...

features inscriptions and reliefs, including the badge of the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot guards#United Kingdom, Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642 in the Ki ...

, the regiment in which Gordon served, with its motto '' Nemo me impune lacessit''

Location

The monument is on the boundary between two Francophone

municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

Braine-l'Alleud Braine-l'Alleud (; ; ) is a Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, about south of Brussels. The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud ...

and

Lasne Lasne (; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, south east of Brussels. In 2008, Lasne had a population of 14,043. The total area is 47.22 km² which gives a population density of 297 inhabitant ...

. The historic area commemorating the Battle of Waterloo is currently administered by these municipalities and

Waterloo Waterloo most commonly refers to: * Battle of Waterloo, 1815 battle where Napoleon's French army was defeated by Anglo-allied and Prussian forces * Waterloo, Belgium Waterloo may also refer to: Other places Australia * Waterloo, New South Wale ...

. Other monuments of interest on the Battlefield of Waterloo include one to the

King's German Legion The King's German Legion (KGL; ) was a formation of the British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Consisting primarily of expatriate Germans, it existed from 1803 to 1816 and achieved the distinction of being the on ...

(''Monument aux Hanovriens'') which was erected in 1818 near the Gordon Monument.

Conservation and heritage status

Conservation

The monument underwent repairs in the 19th century which are recorded on the monument itself. The most recent restoration work in 2012 was part of the refurbishment of the battlefield which was carried out in advance of the 200th anniversary of the battle.

Heritage status

Belgium gave protection to the battlefield in 1914. The current

heritage listing Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset is a preexisting thing of value today ** Cultural heritage is created by humans ** Natural heritage is not * Heritage language Biology * Heredity, biological inheritance of physica ...

is maintained by the autonomous region of

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

. Consideration is being given to international protection by UNESCO.

Regional protection

Described as an English rather than a British monument (''Monument des Anglais à la mémoire de Gordon''), the Gordon Monument has been included in the ''Patrimoine culturel immobilier classé de la Wallonie'', a heritage register maintained by Wallonia. The battlefield itself is protected by a heritage listing for sites, being on Wallonia's ''Liste du patrimoine immobilier exceptionnel''.

International protection

Belgium has included the battlefield on the tentative list for World Heritage status with the French title ''Le champ de bataille de Waterloo, la fin de l’épopée napoléonienne''. The submission to UNESCO mentions the "colonne Gordon" in the description of the site. File:Monument Gordon 02.JPG,

Column.

File:Monument Gordon 05.JPG,

Top of the column.

File:Monument Gordon 06.JPG,

Ornament (

acroterion An acroterion, acroterium, (pl. akroteria) is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the ''acroter'' or plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the pediment of a building in the classical style. An acroterion placed ...

References

Buildings and structures in Walloon Brabant Buildings and structures completed in 1817 Columns related to the Napoleonic Wars Military monuments and memorials Monumental columns in Belgium Neoclassical architecture in Belgium John Buonarotti Papworth buildings and structures Protected heritage sites in Belgium Waterloo Battlefield locations {{mil-memorial-stub