Penshaw Monument
Encyclopedia
Penshaw Monument is a folly
built in 1844 on Penshaw
Hill between the districts of Washington
and Houghton-le-Spring
, within the City of Sunderland
, North East England
. It is dedicated to John George Lambton, first Earl of Durham
and the first Governor of the Province of Canada
.
dominates the local landscape as a half-sized replica of the Temple of Hephaestus
in Athens
.
The monument stands on Penshaw Hill, which is something of a toponymic peculiarity. Essentially the name is derived from a mixture of Celtic
and Anglo-Saxon (or Old English) words. Pen is a Brythonic
or Cumbric word for hill, as in the name Penrith; shaw is derived from sceaga meaning "wooded area"; and finally the Old/Middle
/Modern
English word "hill". Thus when fully translated, the name means "wooded-hill hill".
tetrastyle monument is 30 metres (98.4 ft) long, 16 metres (52.5 ft) wide and 20 metres (65.6 ft) high. The columns are each 2 metres (6.6 ft) in diameter. It was designed by John and Benjamin Green
and built by Thomas Pratt of Sunderland, based on the Doric order
.
Resting on the columns is the entablature which itself can be split into three main parts. The architrave
, the main spanning beam across the tops of the pillars. Above the architrave is the frieze, the central patterned section. Then the cornice is the upper part which projects outwards. Finally, the pediments are the triangular facings at each end of the Monument. One of the pillars contains a spiral staircase to a walkway around the top of the monument.
The Monument is made of gritstone
that came from the Marquess of Londonderry's quarries on the east coast. Steel pins and brackets were used to hold the stone blocks in place.
(the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England
) on 28 August 1844. This was four years after the death of John George Lambton.
On Easter Monday
, 1926 a 15-year-old boy, Temperley Arthur Scott, fell to his death from the top of Penshaw Monument. The boy was with three friends and 20 other people when the accident happened. They had got to the roof through the spiral staircase hidden in one of the pillars. Witnesses said that the boys went round the roof walkway twice before deciding to make a third circuit. However, Scott fell trying to avoid the other visitors by passing around an open end where there was no protecting wall. Afterwards the spiral staircase to the roof was closed and remained so until a special opening on 29th August 2011, when the public were granted access to the spiral staircase and views from the top of the Monument. This was an initial test to see if it was popular enough to open again for future one-off days. The National Trust did not take bookings, the public simply turned up on the day. It was so popular ( Over 2000 People ), not all those who turned up got to go to the top of the Monument. Many were forced to leave their contact details and will be given priority on the next open day.
In September 1939, John Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham
presented Penshaw Monument to the National Trust as a gift.
Owing to settlement as a result of mining beneath the hill, Penshaw Monument was underpinned
in 1978. The next year the entire western end was dismantled block by block in order that damaged lintels could be replaced by new reinforced concrete ones.
Penshaw Monument features on the club badge of Sunderland A.F.C.
as a gift from the 5th Earl of Durham
in 1939. A placard was placed on the front of the monument to recognise this.
The placard reads:
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
built in 1844 on Penshaw
Penshaw
The village of Penshaw , formerly known as Painshaw or Pensher, is an area of the metropolitan district of the City of Sunderland, in Tyne and Wear, England...
Hill between the districts of Washington
Washington, Tyne and Wear
Washington is a town in the City of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, England. Historically part of County Durham, it joined a new county in 1974 with the creation of Tyne and Wear...
and Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring
Houghton-le-Spring is part of the City of Sunderland in the county of Tyne and Wear, North East England that has its recorded origins in Norman times. It is situated almost equidistant between the cathedral city of Durham 7 miles to the south-west and the centre of the City of Sunderland about 6...
, within the City of Sunderland
City of Sunderland
The City of Sunderland is a local government district of Tyne and Wear, in North East England, with the status of a city and metropolitan borough...
, North East England
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. It is dedicated to John George Lambton, first Earl of Durham
Earl of Durham
Earl of Durham is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1833 for the prominent Whig politician and colonial official John Lambton, 1st Baron Durham. Known as "Radical Jack", he played a leading role in the passing of the Great Reform Act of 1832...
and the first Governor of the Province of Canada
Province of Canada
The Province of Canada, United Province of Canada, or the United Canadas was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham in the Report on the Affairs of British North America following the Rebellions of...
.
Location
The 136 metres (446.2 ft) hill on which the monument stands was presented by Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry. The monumentMonument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
dominates the local landscape as a half-sized replica of the Temple of Hephaestus
Temple of Hephaestus
The Temple of Hephaestus, also known as the Hephaisteion or earlier as the Theseion, is the best-preserved ancient Greek temple; it remains standing largely as built. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and is located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill....
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Toponymy
Although often called "Penshaw Monument", the correct title of the structure is The Earl of Durham's Monument.The monument stands on Penshaw Hill, which is something of a toponymic peculiarity. Essentially the name is derived from a mixture of Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
and Anglo-Saxon (or Old English) words. Pen is a Brythonic
Brythonic languages
The Brythonic or Brittonic languages form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family, the other being Goidelic. The name Brythonic was derived by Welsh Celticist John Rhys from the Welsh word Brython, meaning an indigenous Briton as opposed to an Anglo-Saxon or Gael...
or Cumbric word for hill, as in the name Penrith; shaw is derived from sceaga meaning "wooded area"; and finally the Old/Middle
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
/Modern
Modern English
Modern English is the form of the English language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England, completed in roughly 1550.Despite some differences in vocabulary, texts from the early 17th century, such as the works of William Shakespeare and the King James Bible, are considered to be in Modern...
English word "hill". Thus when fully translated, the name means "wooded-hill hill".
Construction
The DoricDoric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
tetrastyle monument is 30 metres (98.4 ft) long, 16 metres (52.5 ft) wide and 20 metres (65.6 ft) high. The columns are each 2 metres (6.6 ft) in diameter. It was designed by John and Benjamin Green
John and Benjamin Green
John and Benjamin Green were a father and son who worked in partnership as architects in North East England during the early nineteenth century. John, the father was a civil engineer as well as an architect...
and built by Thomas Pratt of Sunderland, based on the Doric order
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
.
Resting on the columns is the entablature which itself can be split into three main parts. The architrave
Architrave
An architrave is the lintel or beam that rests on the capitals of the columns. It is an architectural element in Classical architecture.-Classical architecture:...
, the main spanning beam across the tops of the pillars. Above the architrave is the frieze, the central patterned section. Then the cornice is the upper part which projects outwards. Finally, the pediments are the triangular facings at each end of the Monument. One of the pillars contains a spiral staircase to a walkway around the top of the monument.
The Monument is made of gritstone
Gritstone
Gritstone or Grit is a hard, coarse-grained, siliceous sandstone. This term is especially applied to such sandstones that are quarried for building material. British gritstone was used for millstones to mill flour, to grind wood into pulp for paper and for grindstones to sharpen blades. "Grit" is...
that came from the Marquess of Londonderry's quarries on the east coast. Steel pins and brackets were used to hold the stone blocks in place.
History
The foundation stone was laid by Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of ZetlandThomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland
Thomas Dundas, 2nd Earl of Zetland, KG KT was a British nobleman and politician.Born in Marylebone, London, he was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1818 he was elected Whig Member of Parliament for his father and grandfather's old seat of Richmond, becoming representative for...
(the Grand Master of the United Grand Lodge of England
United Grand Lodge of England
The United Grand Lodge of England is the main governing body of freemasonry within England and Wales and in other, predominantly ex-British Empire and Commonwealth countries outside the United Kingdom. It is the oldest Grand Lodge in the world, deriving its origin from 1717...
) on 28 August 1844. This was four years after the death of John George Lambton.
On Easter Monday
Easter Monday
Easter Monday is the day after Easter Sunday and is celebrated as a holiday in some largely Christian cultures, especially Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox cultures...
, 1926 a 15-year-old boy, Temperley Arthur Scott, fell to his death from the top of Penshaw Monument. The boy was with three friends and 20 other people when the accident happened. They had got to the roof through the spiral staircase hidden in one of the pillars. Witnesses said that the boys went round the roof walkway twice before deciding to make a third circuit. However, Scott fell trying to avoid the other visitors by passing around an open end where there was no protecting wall. Afterwards the spiral staircase to the roof was closed and remained so until a special opening on 29th August 2011, when the public were granted access to the spiral staircase and views from the top of the Monument. This was an initial test to see if it was popular enough to open again for future one-off days. The National Trust did not take bookings, the public simply turned up on the day. It was so popular ( Over 2000 People ), not all those who turned up got to go to the top of the Monument. Many were forced to leave their contact details and will be given priority on the next open day.
In September 1939, John Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham
John Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham
John Lambton was the 5th Earl of Durham. He is best remembered for the donation of Penshaw Monument to the National Trust.John Lambton married Hermione Bullough, daughter and sole heir of George Bullough, 1st Baronet Bullough....
presented Penshaw Monument to the National Trust as a gift.
Owing to settlement as a result of mining beneath the hill, Penshaw Monument was underpinned
Underpinning
In construction, underpinning is the process of strengthening and stabilizing the foundation of an existing building or other structure. Underpinning may be necessary for a variety of reasons:*The original foundation is simply not strong or stable enough....
in 1978. The next year the entire western end was dismantled block by block in order that damaged lintels could be replaced by new reinforced concrete ones.
Penshaw Monument features on the club badge of Sunderland A.F.C.
Placard
It was acquired by the National TrustNational Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is a conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
as a gift from the 5th Earl of Durham
John Lambton, 5th Earl of Durham
John Lambton was the 5th Earl of Durham. He is best remembered for the donation of Penshaw Monument to the National Trust.John Lambton married Hermione Bullough, daughter and sole heir of George Bullough, 1st Baronet Bullough....
in 1939. A placard was placed on the front of the monument to recognise this.
The placard reads:
THIS STONE WAS LAID BY
THOMAS, EARL OF ZETLAND
GRAND MASTER OF THE FREE AND ACCEPTED MASONS OF ENGLAND
ASSISTED BY
THE BRETHREN OF THE PROVINCES OF DURHAM AND NORTHUMBERLAND
ON THE 28TH AUGUST 1844
BEING THE FOUNDATION STONE OF A MEMORIAL TO BE ERRECTED
TO THE MEMORY OF
JOHN GEORGE EARL OF DURHAM
WHO
AFTER REPRESENTING THE COUNTY OF DURHAM IN PARLIAMENT
FOR FIFTEEN YEARS
WAS RAISED TO THE PEERAGE
AND SUBSEQUENTLY HELD THE OFFICES OF
LORD PRIVY SEAL, AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND
MINISTER AT THE COURT OF ST. PETERSBURG AND
GOVERNOR-GENERAL OF CANADA.
HE DIED ON THE 28TH OF JULY 1840 IN THE 49TH YEAR OF HIS AGE
THE MONUMENT WILL BE ERECTED
BY THE PRIVATE SUBSCRIPTIONS OF HIS FELLOW COUNTRYMEN
ADMIRERS OF HIS DISTINGUISHED TALENTS AND
EXAMPLARY PRIVATE VIRTUES.
DONATED TO THE NATIONAL TRUST ON 1ST SEPTEMBER 1939