Eleanor Cross monument outside London’s Charing Cross station restored to gleaming glory

London’s Eleanor Cross monument restored

LONDON — A historic monument that marks the traditional center of London has been restored to its Victorian glory.

Workers removed scaffolding Monday from the 70 foot (20 meter) tall Eleanor Cross outside Charing Cross railway station.

The 145-year-old stone monument has undergone a 10-month restoration as workers scrubbed off layers of grime and restored heraldic shields and other ornamental features.

The monument stands near the site of the original Charing Cross, one of 12 monuments erected by Edward I in the 1290s to mark the funeral procession of his wife, Eleanor of Castile.

The original cross was the point from which distances to and from London are measured. It was destroyed in the 17th century, and the present monument stands a few hundred yards (meters) away.