18th century obelisk commemorating Cassivellaunus, at Brockley Hill, Stanmore

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Overview

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1003774
Date first listed:: 23-Feb-1977

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:: Scheduled Monument
List Entry Number:: 1003774
Date first listed:: 23-Feb-1977

Location

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:: Greater London Authority
District:: Harrow (London Borough)
Parish:: Non Civil Parish
National Grid Reference:: TQ 16677 93946

Summary

Obelisk on Brockley Hill, 200m north-east of Grove Farm.

Reasons for Designation

A commemorative monument is a building or structure erected to commemorate a particular person or event. They include public statues and memorials, funerary monuments in churchyards and cemeteries, and war memorials, some of which provide some of our finest examples of public art.

Despite some restoration in the past, the obelisk on Brockley Hill, 200m north-east of Grove Farm, is an imposing commemorative monument, which survives well. It includes some well preserved 18th century masonry work and a Latin inscription that enhance its significance.

History

See Details.

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 19 March 2015. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes a mid 18th century commemorative obelisk monument situated at the summit of Brockley Hill, north of Wood Lane in the grounds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

The obelisk, built of red brick and faced with Portland stone, stands about 6m high. It was erected in 1750 by William Sharpe, secretary to the second Duke of Chandos. The obelisk commemorates Cassivellaunus and his tribe, the 'Suellani', as well as marking the mid-way point between Londinium (London) and Verulamium (St Albans). A Latin inscription on the four lower sides of the obelisk claims that Cassivellaunus led a successful battle against the Roman forces of Julius Caesar. The inscription was apparently restored by the hospital in the early 20th century.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:: LO 144
Legacy System:: RSM - OCN

Sources

Books and journals
Baker, M, Discovering London Statues and Monuments, No.42 Shire Books, (2002), 209
Websites
Baker, T, Pugh, R (eds), Baggs, A, Bolton, D, Scarff, E, Tyack, G, 'Little Stanmore: Introduction', A History of the County of Middlesex, Vol 5 (1976), 110-113, accessed 3 Nov 2009 from http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=26918
Other
Greater London SMR 052099/00/00.

Legal

This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.