Wonderful Wellington

Explore the rich heritage of this diverse town with LAURA BRIGGS.

- Laura Briggs

STEEPED IN A rich history, the town of Wellington celebrates all that is great about British industry and design.

Welcoming visitors to the town from its vantage point on top of the Blackdown hills, the Wellington Monument acts as the gateway to the town – and can be seen from miles around.

Built to celebrate the Duke of Wellington, the idea was originally mooted in 1815 following the Duke’s victory at the Battle of Waterloo. After some competition Thomas Lee Junior was appointed to design the monument and his original design included a cast iron statue of the Duke of Wellington himself sitting atop the tower, to measure 140ft.

The money ran out in a matter of months however, and the monument was only standing at 45ft by this time. It was finally completed in the 1820s, without the statue at the top. In 1846 and again in the early 1850s a lightning strike caused serious structural damage and as it was considered a danger to the public, local architect Charles Giles was given the task of repair and redesign, and he set out to make the monument the tallest three-sided obelisk in Britain. At 175ft tall, Giles succeeded.

The monument is visited by more than 40,000 every year and is looked after by the National Trust, who have put in an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund to raise four million for its complete restoration.