Wellington Monument, Somerset
| Wellington Monument | |
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Wellington Monument, with painted site barrier in place at the base due to renovation works
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 Location within Somerset
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| General information | |
| Location | Wellington, England |
| Coordinates | 50°56′53″N 3°13′45″W / 50.9480°N 3.2293°WCoordinates: 50°56′53″N 3°13′45″W / 50.9480°N 3.2293°W |
| Construction started | 1817 |
| Completed | 1854 |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 175 feet (53 m) high |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Thomas Lee |
The Wellington Monument is a 175-foot-high (53 m) triangular obelisk located on a point of the Blackdown Hills, 3 km (1.9 miles) south of Wellington in the English county of Somerset. It is a grade II* listed building.
The monument was designed to commemorate the Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Construction of the original design commenced in 1817; a revised and cheaper design was eventually used, though, and building was completed in 1854. It is now owned by the National Trust, who closed the monument to the public in 2007, owing to safety concerns. Surveys have shown that extensive renovation work will be needed to reopen the internal staircase to the viewing platform. As of 2015 the work is still ongoing.
The monument was erected to celebrate the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington's victory at the Battle of Waterloo. Following his victory at the Battle of Talavera Wellesley was ennobled. As he was abroad his brother chose the name of the Somerset town, because of its similarity to the family name, although Wellesley had never visited it. Parliament awarded him £100,000, and with this he bought two manors in the town, including the land the monument now stands on. The monument was proposed in 1815 by William Sanford of Nynehead Court, and he started a public subscription to pay for it. Within months £1450 had been raised and a design competition was held. The winning entry envisaged a 95 feet (29 m) pillar with three cottages at the base to house old soldiers as caretakers. It was designed by Thomas Lee and the foundation stone was laid by Lord Somerville in 1817. By 1818 the column was 47 feet (14 m) high but all funds had been spent. Another appeal raised further funds, and the column was raised to 121 feet (37 m) by 1820. It was damaged in 1846 when it was struck by lightning.
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