Tuesday, 11 December 2018

Hyde Park Obelisk

The Hyde Park Obelisk is located on the western edge of Hyde Park, along Elizabeth Street. This view is from the park towards OTC House, an office building on the corner of Bathurst Street. This monument was unveiled in 1857 by Lord Mayor George Thornton and was originally used as a sewerage vent, so was jokingly referred to as Thorton's Scent Bottle. It is 22 metres high, including the 6.5 metre high square sandstone base and a filigreed bronze pyramid vent at the top. This obelisk was modelled on Cleopatra's Needle, on the banks of London's Thames River. The red, green and white banners feature Christmas decorations.

8 comments:

  1. Thornton's Scent Bottle, bet the Lord Mayor was not well pleased with that Jim 😀

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  2. I wouldn't have been pleased to have such a nickname added to it. I do like it!

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    1. But it's quite a larrikin Aussie thing to do, William. :)

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  3. I can see the resemblance to Cleopatra's Needle. An impressive monument despite its nickname.

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  4. Looks like Cleopatra's Needle is a force to be reckoned with. Majestic as its namesake.

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  5. Lovely and lovely shot . Keep commenting on my blog because I love your comments.

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  6. Interesting. I just came back from Egypt and I witnessed some obelisks.

    Worth a Thousand Words

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