Tyndale Monument
Encyclopedia
The Tyndale Monument is a tower
built on a hill at North Nibley
, Gloucestershire
, England
. It was built in honour of William Tyndale
, a translator of the New Testament
, who is believed to have been born at North Nibley.
The tower was constructed in 1866 and is 111 ft (34 m) tall. It is possible to enter and climb to the top of the tower, up a spiral staircase
of about 120 steps. The hill it is on allows a wide range of views, especially looking down to the River Severn
A nearby topograph points to some other landmarks visible. The hill on which the monument stands is quite steep. There are two main paths, one which goes up steep steps, or one that follows a rough slope. The tower itself is surrounded by fencing and has floodlights that light up the tower at night.
The door to the tower is normally unlocked on weekends, otherwise you can get the key from the village shop. A deposit is required for borrowing the key and the there is a nominal admission charge. Locally, it is commonly called Nibley Monument rather than its official name.
There is a plaque
on the front of the tower. The text engraved on it reads:
The monument is a landmark
that can be seen for miles, even in places as far as Bristol
over 20 miles away. In the town of Thornbury
there is a street called Tyndale View where the tower can be seen from approximately 10 miles away.
Further down the Cotswold Edge, at Hawkesbury, is the Somerset Monument, erected in 1846, and the design of the Tyndale tower has features in common with this.
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
built on a hill at North Nibley
North Nibley
North Nibley is a village in Gloucestershire, England about 3 km northwest of Wotton-under-Edge. The village is commonly known as Nibley: the official name North Nibley distinguishes it from the village of Nibley, just outside Yate, about 10 miles away in South Gloucestershire...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It was built in honour of William Tyndale
William Tyndale
William Tyndale was an English scholar and translator who became a leading figure in Protestant reformism towards the end of his life. He was influenced by the work of Desiderius Erasmus, who made the Greek New Testament available in Europe, and by Martin Luther...
, a translator of the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
, who is believed to have been born at North Nibley.
The tower was constructed in 1866 and is 111 ft (34 m) tall. It is possible to enter and climb to the top of the tower, up a spiral staircase
Spiral staircase
Spiral staircase may refer to:* A type of stairway characterized by its spiral shape* The Spiral Staircase , a 1946 American psychological thriller film* The Spiral Staircase , a 1975 British film, a remake of the 1946 film...
of about 120 steps. The hill it is on allows a wide range of views, especially looking down to the River Severn
River Severn
The River Severn is the longest river in Great Britain, at about , but the second longest on the British Isles, behind the River Shannon. It rises at an altitude of on Plynlimon, Ceredigion near Llanidloes, Powys, in the Cambrian Mountains of mid Wales...
A nearby topograph points to some other landmarks visible. The hill on which the monument stands is quite steep. There are two main paths, one which goes up steep steps, or one that follows a rough slope. The tower itself is surrounded by fencing and has floodlights that light up the tower at night.
The door to the tower is normally unlocked on weekends, otherwise you can get the key from the village shop. A deposit is required for borrowing the key and the there is a nominal admission charge. Locally, it is commonly called Nibley Monument rather than its official name.
There is a plaque
Commemorative plaque
A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event...
on the front of the tower. The text engraved on it reads:
- ERECTED A.D. 1866
- IN GRATEFUL REMEMBRANCE OF
- WILLIAM TYNDALE
- TRANSLATOR OF THE ENGLISH BIBLE
- WHO FIRST CAUSED THE NEW TESTAMENT
- TO BE PRINTED IN THE MOTHER TONGUE
- OF HIS COUNTRYMEN
- BORN NEAR THIS SPOT HE SUFFERED
- MARTYRDOM AT VILVORDEN IN
- FLANDERS ON OCT 6 1536
The monument is a landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
that can be seen for miles, even in places as far as Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
over 20 miles away. In the town of Thornbury
Thornbury, South Gloucestershire
Thornbury is a market town in South Gloucestershire, England, approximately 12 miles north of the city of Bristol, with a population of 12,342 at the 2001 UK census. The town hosts South Gloucestershire Council headquarters and is twinned with Bockenem in Germany. Thornbury is a Britain in Bloom...
there is a street called Tyndale View where the tower can be seen from approximately 10 miles away.
Further down the Cotswold Edge, at Hawkesbury, is the Somerset Monument, erected in 1846, and the design of the Tyndale tower has features in common with this.