Charles Rolls and Henry V

Villages, towns and cities are understandably proud of the famous people that grow up and thrive in their communities. Frequently the most famous are commemorated with a statue. Such memorials tend to be found in cities simply because their higher populations are more likely to produce people who achieve fame. It is, therefore, unusual for a small town such as Monmouth in Wales (population c.11,000), to produce two people whose names are known acrosss the world. Charles Rolls (1877-1910) was a pioneer aviator and co-founder of the Rolls Royce motor car and aero engine manufacturing companies. Henry V (1386/7-1422) is well known for his military successes against France, and particularly his victory at Agincourt, but more widely through Shakespeare's play that takes his name as its title.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The Eastnor obelisk

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