Davison's Obelisk
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Description
Memorial to Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, victor of the Battle of Trafalgar, situated by the old A1 at Swarland. The Nelson Memorial, Swarland is a white freestone obelisk erected in 1807, two years after Nelson's death, by his friend and sometime agent, Alexander Davison, who owned an estate centred around the now demolished Swarland Hall. It is a Grade II listed monument. "Obelisk to commemorate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar, and railings. Early C19. Obelisk ashlar; cast-iron railings on squared stone dwarf wall. Obelisk c.2.7 metres square. 3-metres high base part has plinth and square cornice, above which a tapering shaft rises to a flattened pyramidal cap; total height c.12 metres. Inscribed panel on east side of base" Davison made his fortune in the late 18th century after travelling to Quebec, where he met and became friends with the 24-year-old Nelson, who was commanding HMS Albemarle, which was docked at Quebec City during the War of American Independence. Later in life, Nelson engaged Davison as an agent to represent him at naval tribunals dealing with the distribution of the spoils of battle. A line of trees on the estate represents the Nile delta, whilst other groups of trees represent the positions of French and British ships engaged in the Battle of the Nile. There are three inscriptions on the monument; from top to bottom: England expects every man to do his duty Victory 21 October 1805 (the date referring to the Battle of Trafalgar) Not to Commemorate the Public Virtues and Heroic Achievements of Nelson, which is the duty of England; But to the Memory of Private Friendship, this erection is dedicated by Alexander Davison, Swarland Hall The erection of the memorial arguably represented the zenith of Davison's social standing; he was imprisoned for a year for fraud in 1808, and never recovered his position. -
Owner
Pete Reed -
Source
Flickr (Flickr) -
License
What does this mean? Attribution-NonCommercial License
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Further information
Link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/69959962@N00/9240674969/
Resource type: Image
Added by: Simon Cotterill
Last modified: 7 years, 9 months ago
Viewed: 822 times
Picture Taken: Unknown -
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