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Cleopatra's Needle
Victoria Embankment,
London,
SW1
Erected
on the Victoria Embankment in 1878,
this granite obelisk, 68 feet high and 180 tons in
weight, originally stood in Egypt,
around 1500BC. It was a gift to the British people, in 1819
in recognition of Nelson's victory over the French fleet,
at the Battle of the Nile in 1798. The pink-granite monolith
sits on a pedestal, that holds two earthenware pots, containing
various objects, some of which are bizarre to say the least:
A portrait of Queen Victoria, iron ropes and cables, a hydraulic
jack, copies of an engineering magazine, and portraits of
12 of the most beautiful Englishwomen!
Cost:
Free
Nearest Tube: Embankment
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