Nelson's Obelisk

The obelisk is a memorial to Horatio Nelson, victor of the Battle of Trafalgar, and was constructed in 1807 two years after his death by his friend and cohort Alexander Davidson.

Davidson owned the now demolished Swarland Hall and this obelisk sits on his estate and so it is often refered to as Davison's Obelisk.

The obelisk has three inscriptions reading:

- England expects every man to do his duty- Victory 21 October 1805 (the date referring to the Battle of Trafalgar) - Not to Commemorate the Public Virtues and Heroic Achievements of Nelson, which is the duty of England; But to the Memory of Private Friendship, this erection is dedicated by Alexander Davison, Swarland Hall.

The obelisk is not the only Nelson memorial at Swarland. A line of trees on the estate represents the Nile delta, whilst other groups of trees represent the positions of French and British ships engaged in the Battle of the Nile. Source - Wikipedia.

The monument used to sit next to the old A1, until the new dual carriageway was created, so now it remains on the old A1 which is used mainly by local traffic and hidden from the main road by trees.

Read more about the obelisk at The Nelson Society.

And of course my Glamorous Assistant had to get in on the picture!