Wellington Monument

A striking landmark recently restored, on the edge of the Blackdown Hills.

Monumental history
The Wellington Monument is the tallest three-sided ‘obelisk’ in the world. A swinging stone at its pinnacle allows you to see it move with the wind. Since a memorial to the Duke of Wellington was first proposed in 1815, nothing has quite gone to plan.

Walking
A one-mile meander through trees and grassland is a great way to explore the immediate area.

Wildlife
Veteran oaks, beech and sweet chestnut trees provide ideal bird nesting sites and bat roosts. Tree creepers, nuthatches and great spotted woodpeckers can often be seen or heard. The grassland is rich in plant life and provides a valuable food source for dragonflies and butterflies such as the common blue.

On your visit discover
The views of the Blackdowns and across to the Quantocks and Exmoor. The building work, to repair the monument, now at the halway point. The common spotted orchid on the grassland, flowering in early summer. The autumn colours of the beech hedgerows.

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