The word "obelisk" is the Greek name given to the Egyptian "tekhenu", a tall, four-sided, tapering column with a pyramidal top, that was inscribed with writing commemorating significant events. Not only did the Greeks (and Romans) copy this architectural form, they took many Egyptian examples and placed them in their cities. This happened in later times too: Cleopatra's Needle in London is an example. The obelisk near Eastnor Castle, Herefordshire, is 90 feet (27.4 metres) high and is placed on a hill to make it widely visible. It is the work of the architect, Sir Robert Smirke, and commemorates the death of the castle's then owner's son, Lt. Col. E. C. Cocks, at the siege of Burgos, Spain, in 1812.
photo © T. Boughen Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2
