Wellington Monument, Somerset
Encyclopedia
The Wellington Monument is a 175 feet (53.3 m) high triangular tower located on the highest point of the Blackdown Hills
, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Wellington
, Somerset
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a grade II* listed building.
It was erected to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's
victory at the Battle of Waterloo
. The foundation stone was laid in 1817, on land belonging to the Duke, but the monument was not completed until 1854. Its design was inspired by an Egyptian obelisk
, but in the shape of the type of bayonet
used by Wellington's armies. It is 80 feet (24.4 m) wide at the base. A counterweight
hangs inside to help balance the Monument in windy weather. An internal staircase ascends to a viewing platform.
It is now owned by the National Trust
, and is floodlit at night. Originally four cannon surrounded the Monument, but these were removed during the Second World War (1939-1945) and used for scrap to help the war effort. In 1985, the Wellington Rotary Club donated the cannon currently standing at the base of the Monument. The viewing platform is currently (2007) closed due to safety concerns.
In June 2009, the National Trust announced plans to reclad the monument at a cost of £4 million. The painted fence was replaced by an open wire fence in 2010, aiding visibility, but still denying public access to the base of the monument.
Blackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) south of Wellington
Wellington, Somerset
Wellington is a small industrial town in rural Somerset, England, situated south west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district, near the border with Devon, which runs along the Blackdown Hills to the south of the town...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a grade II* listed building.
It was erected to celebrate the Duke of Wellington's
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
victory at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. The foundation stone was laid in 1817, on land belonging to the Duke, but the monument was not completed until 1854. Its design was inspired by an Egyptian obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
, but in the shape of the type of bayonet
Bayonet
A bayonet is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit in, on, over or underneath the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar weapon, effectively turning the gun into a spear...
used by Wellington's armies. It is 80 feet (24.4 m) wide at the base. A counterweight
Counterweight
A counterweight is an equivalent counterbalancing weight that balances a load.-Uses:A counterweight is often used in traction lifts , cranes and funfair rides...
hangs inside to help balance the Monument in windy weather. An internal staircase ascends to a viewing platform.
It is now owned by the National Trust
National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
, and is floodlit at night. Originally four cannon surrounded the Monument, but these were removed during the Second World War (1939-1945) and used for scrap to help the war effort. In 1985, the Wellington Rotary Club donated the cannon currently standing at the base of the Monument. The viewing platform is currently (2007) closed due to safety concerns.
In June 2009, the National Trust announced plans to reclad the monument at a cost of £4 million. The painted fence was replaced by an open wire fence in 2010, aiding visibility, but still denying public access to the base of the monument.