It’s hard to believe that a quarter of the year has passed already, and yet as it’s the Easter weekend, I seem to have the same issue I had when I started this blog in December – both Lizzy and Labrador need a walk to balance out the calories consumed and the calories burned.
So this weekend brings us back to Dorset, and as the Hardy Monument has recently re-opened to the public, and I had worked out I needed to walk for at least half an hour to burn off chocolate eggs consumed, I took the parents and Labrador on a walk up a hill to see it.
Built to look like a naval spyglass, the structure is a monument to Vice Admiral Sir Thomas Hardy – a chap who was pretty important in the Battle of Trafalgar as he was in charge of HMS Victory and was with Admiral Nelson when he was shot and died on deck. Hardy died a much less dramatic death in Greenwich Hospital aged 70.
His three daughters cared about their dear old father so much that when he died, they had a 72-foot-high tower built in his honour. I’ve told my own Navy father not to expect anything of the sort when his time inevitably comes.
The monument is actually as practical as it is sentimental. The tower is positioned on the summit of Black Down so that it can be used as a landmark for shipping, and is apparently visible from 60 miles away at sea.
What is also really neat is that each point of the octagonal tower is exactly aligned with the points of the compass.
Visitors are allowed to walk the 120 steps up the spiral staircase to the top of the tower, and if you are lucky enough to get a clear day as we did, the views are fantastic.
Verdict: Not just a tower that looks like a spyglass – pretty useful and good views.
Sidetone: Visitors can park in the car park at the base of the monument, and there are car parks further down on either side of the hill.
In the council owned car park, there is an additional structure of note: an artist’s modern version of Stonehenge where the windows in the stones align with both the winter and summer solstices.
A Year of Trust 