Information for record number MWA5013:
Obelisk at Welcombe Bank,

Summary An obelisk which was erected in 1876 on the Welcombe Estate by Robert Needham Philips to commemorate his brother, Mark and father, Robert. It is situated 400m north of Temple Hill.
What Is It?  
Type: Commemorative Monument, Obelisk
Period: Imperial - Industrial (1751 AD - 1913 AD)
Where Is It?  
Parish: Stratford upon Avon
District: Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire
Grid Reference: SP 20 57
(Data represented on this map shows the current selected record as a single point, this is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent an accurate or complete representation of archaeological sites or features)
Level of Protection National - Old SMR PrefRef (Grade: )
Listed Building (Grade: II)
Sites & Monuments Record
Picture(s) attached

  
Description

  
Source Number  

1 An obelisk forms a prominent landmark on the Welcombe Hills. This was erected to commemorate Mark Philips who owned the Welcombe estate and died in 1873. The obelisk was erected by his brother and heir in 1876.
2 obelisk. Erected 1876. It cost £4000.
3 Listed Grade II. Erected in 1876 to the memory of Mark Philips of Welcombe. Limestone ashlar. 3 square steps to battered pedestal supporting obelisk with pronounced taper. pedestal has Philips Arms to east; inscription to Mark Philips to west; north and south faces have inscriptions to Robert Philips, 1760-1844, and Robert Needham Philips, 1815-90, Mark Philips's father and brother. Mark Philips, 1800-73, was an important politician, one of the first pair of MPs for Manchester, 1832.
4 The obelisk is said to be of Welsh granite, though clearly 2 kinds of sandstone. 120ft/37metres high. Three sides of the pedestal have plaques inscribed with details of the 2 men's achievements, and the fourth side has the family coat of arms. Page 41 has photographs of the obelisk and of the family coat of arms. Pages 40-41 details the men's achievements and lives. Mark bought the Welcombe estate in 1845, retired from politics in 1847, demolished the Welcombe house and continue to live in Snitterfield. A house was finally completed on the estate in 1869. Following Mark's death in 1873, his brother Robert erected the obelisk at a cost of £7,000. Robert died in 1890 and his euology was added to the southeast side of the obelisk.
 
Sources
Source No: 4
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Obelisks of Warwickshire
Author/originator: Warwickshire Gardens Trust
Date: 2013
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Source No: 2
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: The Buildings of England: Warwickshire
Author/originator: Pevsner N and Wedgwood A
Date: 1966
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: Warwicks
   
Source No: 1
Source Type: Bibliographic reference
Title: Victoria County History, vol 3, Warwickshire
Author/originator: Salzman L F (ed)
Date: 1945
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet: 3
   
Source No: 3
Source Type: Statuatory List
Title: National Heritage List for England
Author/originator: Historic England
Date:
Page Number:
Volume/Sheet:
   
Images:  
A commemorative monument on the Welcombe Hills, Stratford
Copyright: Warwickshire County Council
Date: 2000
Click here for larger image  
 
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Glossary

 
Word or Phrase
Description  
designation Listed Building Buildings and structures, such as bridges, that are of architectural or historical importance are placed on a statutory list. These buildings are protected by planning and conservation acts that ensure that their special features of interest are considered before any alterations are made to them.

Depending on how important the buildings are they are classed as Grade I, Grade II* or Grade II. Grade I buildings are those of exceptional interest. Grade II* are particularly important buildings of more than special interest. Those listed as Grade II are those buildings that are regarded of special interest.
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period Imperial 1751 AD to 1914 AD (end of the 18th century AD to the beginning of the 20th century AD)

This period comes after the Post Medieval period and before the modern period and starts with beginning of the Industrial Revolution in 1750. It includes the second part of the Hannoverian period (1714 – 1836) and the Victorian period (1837 – 1901). The Imperial period ends with the start of the First World War in 1914.
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monument COAT OF ARMS * Includes crests, hatchments and supporters. back
monument HOUSE * A building for human habitation, especially a dwelling place. Use more specific type where known. back
monument BUILDING * A structure with a roof to provide shelter from the weather for occupants or contents. Use specific type where known. back
monument COMMEMORATIVE MONUMENT * A building, structure or landscape created to commemorate a person or event. back
monument OBELISK * A tall, tapering pillar with a pyramidal top, generally square on plan. Used in England from the late 16th century as a public, funerary or garden monument. back
monument INDUSTRIAL * This is the top term for the class. See INDUSTRIAL Class List for narrow terms. back
monument PEDESTAL * A concrete, cylindrical pedestal on which a spigot mortar was mounted. The pedestal is often the only evidence for a Spigot Mortar emplacement to survive. back
monument SQUARE * An open space or area, usually square in plan, in a town or city, enclosed by residential and/or commercial buildings, frequently containing a garden or laid out with trees. back
monument PLAQUE * An ornamental, commemorative tablet. Use with materials field when indexing. back
monument STEPS * A series of flat-topped structures, usually made of stone or wood, used to facilitate a person's movement from one level to another. back
monument TEMPLE * Use for places of worship. For later landscape features use, eg. GARDEN TEMPLE. back

* Copyright of English Heritage (1999)

English Heritage National Monuments Record