An outrageously tall monument paying tribute to the Duke of Wellington is now in better shape than it has ever been in its chequered 200-year history, the National Trust believes.
After a complicated £3.1m restoration of the monument, which stands 53 metres (175ft) high, visitors will be able to climb the long, winding staircase to the top again, the trust said on Friday.
The monument was built on a hill near Wellington in Somerset, after which the duke took his name. It commemorates his victory at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and is the tallest three-sided obelisk in the world.
It has had a strikingly up-and-down history, including redesigns, rebuilding, money shortfalls and twice being struck by lightning.
The local press described the monument as “dilapidated” in 1890 and it is currently on Historic England’s heritage at risk register.
Helen Sharp, the National Trust’s project manager, said the restoration over two years had been a huge undertaking and that completing the work was a special day.
The monument was “a significant place for so many from the local community,” she said. “It is a place where people walk regularly with their dogs, come for family picnics and where they remember personal events. We’ve heard tales of first kisses and engagements here, which make it important in many hearts.”
In total 1,508 new stones were added to the monument, and the pyramidion – the triangular section at the top – was almost completely replaced, Sharp said.
The trust now expects it to come off the at-risk register and believes it was “now possibly in better condition than when it was first completed”.
The monument was originally funded through public subscription. Early donors included the Duke of Cambridge, George III’s youngest son, and Field Marshal Prince Blücher, the Prussian general who came to Wellington’s assistance at Waterloo.
The foundation stone was laid in 1817, but money started running out and work was carried out in fits and starts before stopping around 1830 when it was 37 metres high.
Work started to repair and continue the build after Wellington’s death in 1852, and within two years it was up to 52 metres.
The work was not of high-quality, however, and more repairs took place in the 1890s, when it was also built to its final height.
It came into the trust’s care in 1934 and by the end of the 20th century the monument’s exposed position and repair and construction history had left it in a poor state once more.
Sharp said: “It will continue as a landmark for the people in this part of Somerset and for those using the M5. Crucially the repairs – inside and out – mean that people will once again be able to climb to the top and we can remove the fence from around the base.”
