Monumental folly

Lord Hill's Column - the lions I blipped a couple of days ago decorate the base, and one can be seen in this shot. Inevitable trivia time - it is the tallest Doric column in England at 133 feet and 6 inches - 15 whole feet taller than Nelson's more famous one. It commemorates Lord Rowland Hill, who was second in command to Wellington at Waterloo and became Commander in Chief of the British Army in 1828.

A 15 foot tall statue of him is at the top, although rather unfortunately he has been sculpted in a very camp looking 'teapot' pose which does undermine the intended dignity and impressiveness of the monument. I'll no doubt blip the statue one of these days. I've heard it said several times that Lord Hill paid for it himself, which wouldn't be very modest of him, but Wikipedia and the internet in general hasn't shed any light on whether that is true or just a scurrilious rumour.

The column has a staircase inside it and normally it is possible to go up and see the view from the top, which would no doubt make for a good blip, as would the spiral staircase. Sadly there are concerns about the structural integrity of some part of it so it is out of bounds for now.