The Monument was built between 1671 and 1677 to commemorate the 'Great Fire of London' and to celebrate the rebuilding of the City. The fire began in a baker's house in Pudding Lane on Sun Sep 02, 1966 and extinguished on Wed Sep 05, after destroying the greater part of the City. There was little loss of life but the fire brought all activity to a halt, having consumed or severely damaged thousands of homes, hundreds of streets, the City's gates, public buildings, churches and St. Paul's Cathedral. The only buildings to survive in part were those built of stone. As part of the rebuilding, it was decided to erect a permanent memorial of the Great Fire near the place where it began. The Monument is 61 metres high and there are 311 steps on the spiral staircase to the viewing platform near the top.