The statue of Nelson that proudly surveys Central London from its column in Trafalgar Square was today declared restored to its former glory after a vigorous steam clean.

Restorers have not only removed decades of pigeon droppings from the famous landmark, and added pigeon-proofing, but removed an unsightly bronze cast from the naval hero's left arm.

The cast was put in place by the Victorians after Nelson was struck by lightning 100 years ago, fearing that the arm had been so badly damaged that it could drop off.

But thanks to modern radar technology, restorers were able to see that the damage was not as bad as feared and the arm was not permanently broken. Instead expert stonemasons were able to repair it.

The column itself was also repaired with original Craigleith stone, after the restorers finally managed to lay hands on a supply of the extremely rare sandstone from the long-closed quarry near Edinburgh.

Previous repairs had had to be done with mortar and cement, but this time a supply of Craigleith sandstone was sourced during the restoration of a building in Edinburgh.

The monument’s bronze has also been cleaned, including the lions, the garland of acanthus leaves below the statue’s feet and the panels depicting Nelson’s victories on the bas-relief.

Originally conceived by John Nash in 1812 to commemorate Nelson’s victory at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, Trafalgar Square was not actually started until almost 30 years later to designs by Charles Barry.

The foundations were laid in 1839 and the monument was completed by 1843.

Adrian Attwood, from David Ball Restoration Limited, which carried out the restoration work, said: "Our philosophy at the start of the project was that we would repair Nelson as carefully as if it were a statue at ground level.

"Using the Craigleith stone and repairing Nelson’s arm means that we have exceeded our own expectations. We leave Nelson looking much better than he has for many years."

There has been one minor indignity. A laser survey of the column has shown that it is shorter than believed, at just over 169ft from street level to the top of Nelson's hat.

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