Pelham's Pillar

Pelham’s Pillar stands on the Brocklesby Park estate in Lincolnshire as a tall stone viewing tower. It rises thirty-nine metres above the flat Lincolnshire countryside, giving wide views over the Yarborough estate. The estate once belonged to the Pelham family, who shaped the land for centuries. The pillar itself was built to honour Charles Anderson-Pelham, the first Earl of Yarborough, who died in 1846. His son laid the foundation stone in 1840, and the tower was finished nine years later under the care of his grandson. The pillar commemorates the first Earl’s work in forestry and agriculture. An inscription records that he planted over twelve million trees on the estate between 1787 and 1823. The architect Edward James Willson designed the square tower in ashlar limestone, while the inside holds a brick staircase winding up to the top. Prince Albert visited the completed tower in 1849, soon after it opened. The design includes a belvedere, a small room with windows on every side for looking out. Visitors climb the brick stairs inside the limestone tower to reach the viewing room at the top. From the belvedere they can see across the park and beyond to the Lincolnshire Wolds. The tower’s height and simple shape make it a clear landmark in the flat landscape. Brocklesby Park surrounds the pillar with wooded areas and open grassland. The estate’s history is visible in the planted avenues and managed fields that stretch to the horizon.