Scheduled Monuments›England›Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End

Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End

England
List entry 1002165
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002165
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.01 hectares
Grid reference
TL 52671 38942
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Lady Portsmouth's Column is a commemorative obelisk located within the grounds of Audley End, a major Jacobean mansion in Essex. The monument dates from the eighteenth century and was erected to honour a member of the Portsmouth family, who held significant connections to the Audley End estate. The obelisk exemplifies the fashion for commemorative monuments that became prevalent amongst the English gentry during this period, serving both as a tribute to an individual and as an ornamental feature within the designed landscape of the grounds. Its presence reflects the importance placed by the estate's owners on memorialising family members and enhancing the aesthetic character of their property.

Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002165. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End?

Lady Portsmouth's Column is a commemorative obelisk located within the grounds of Audley End, a major Jacobean mansion in Essex. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002165.

Who is responsible for protecting Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End?

Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1002165.

What other scheduled monuments are near Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Roman villa at Chinnel Barn (3.5 km), Moated site 400m south-east of Shortgrove Hall (3.9 km), Thunderley Hall moated site and fishponds (4.4 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Roman villa at Chinnel Barn
3.5 km
Moated site 400m south-east of Shortgrove Hall
3.9 km
Thunderley Hall moated site and fishponds
4.4 km
Tiptoft's moated site and fishponds
4.6 km
St Helen's Chapel, Bonhunt
5.7 km
Freemans Farm moated site
6.3 km
Moated site and three ponds at Parsonage Farm
6.3 km
Prior's Hall moated site
7.2 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End

Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End stands on White Chalk Subgroup, bedrock that formed in the Maastrichtian. The rock here is chalk.

The wider landscape

Around Lady Portsmouth's Column (Obelisk), Audley End

Great ChesterfordRoman town · ~2.9 milesCambridgeRoman town · ~13.6 miles
Domesday entry for Walden, Essex →
All Scheduled Monuments