Weatherby Castle ( Obelisk ) Dorset, follies and folly towers at follytowers.com (original) (raw)

W e a t h e r b y
C a s t l e

Weatherby Castle as it is called locally, is an obelisk sat high ( 101m above sea level ), but very well hidden, on top of a hill near Milbourne St Andrew. The area was originally a hill fort as can be seen by the ditches that still surround the summit. Weatherby Castle, is actually the name for the hill, but the obelisk has now taken on that rather misleading name as well.
It was erected in 1761 by Edmund Pleydell the local landowner, who lived at nearby Whatcombe House. The obelisk is a rather plain affair and is constructed mainly of brick, with some stone dressing to the plinth.

Restoration
After being ignored it has been restored in recent years, when ...I am told, scaffolding was erected for the work and at night it was possible for a visitor to climb up to inspect the large copper ball that adorns the top.
Sat in the dense woods that surround the hilltop and also because of the dark brick it is built from, it was well camouflaged when I last visited in the middle of summer.

Visiting:-
There is a public footpath that runs close to the obelisk, the path starting from the nearby lane at 380959 096273.

Additional Photographs These are full size and take longer to load.

Co-Ords: 380697 096267 / SY 806962

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