Dunston Pillar - Dunston, Lincolnshire, England
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SMacB
N 53° 08.717 W 000° 29.606
30U E 667636 N 5891367
Dunston Pillar is a grade II listed stone tower in Lincolnshire, England and a former 'land lighthouse'. It stands beside the A15 road approximately 6 miles (10 km) south of Lincoln near the junction of the B1178 (also known as Tower Lane), in the village of Dunston.
Waymark Code: WMKD2V
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/23/2014
Views: 6
"In the 1700s, travellers making their way from Sleaford to Lincoln had been confronted by highwaymen on the bleak, western heath of Dunston & Nocton. One such holdup ended in the murder of Christoper Wilkinson, who refused to hand over his money to Dick Turpin.
The heath was at the western edge of land owned by Sir Francis Dashwood, of the famous 'Hellfire Club'. He was determined to make the road safer on the western edge of his estate and decided to erect a land lighthouse, similar in design to the central cupola of Nocton Hall. It was to be much higher to make sure beams of light would spread across extensive brush waste to deter highwaymen.
Originally, the pillar had a spiral staircase inside the 92' tower to take the lighthouse keeper to the gallery which surrounded the base of the octagonal 15' lantern. The view from the tower was said to be magnificent . Lincoln Cathedral stood out to the north and, on a clear day, Boston Stump could be seen to the far southeast. It was one of only 3 land lighthouses ever built in England. It proved very popular as an early 'tourist attraction'. There were assembly rooms and a bowling green where travellers could rest and pass the time.
The original 1751 inscriptions on the pillar were:
East side: Dunston Pillar
North side: To Lincoln V Miles
South side: From the City CXX Miles
West Side: Columnam Hane Utilitate Publicae, DDD F Dashwood, MDCCLI
In time, the heath was tamed, becoming good arable land. The lantern gradually collapsed as the ironwork rusted and, in 1808, the lantern was replaced with a bust of King George III by the Earl of Buckinghamshire to celebrate 50 years of the king's reign..
This bust, together with the top 30 feet of the pillar was removed in 1940 as the pillar was considered to be a hazard to low flying aircraft. The bust can now be seen in the grounds of Lincoln Castle. In June 1991, the village community placed a smaller wooden replica of the pillar in the grounds of the village hall."
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