If you have driven on the M40 in Warwickshire, you might have caught a glimpse of this obelisk in the former parkland of Umberslade Hall. In the middle of the eighteenth century Umberslade was home to Thomas Archer, who commissioned this obelisk. It was originally topped with an eye-catching golden star which, sadly, is long gone but it is known from old photographs.

The obelisk was erected in 1748-49 to the design of the local architect William Hiorne. It carries no inscription, which means that historians have had to ponder what it might commemorate. The most likely suggestion is that Archer (1695-1768) built it to mark his elevation to the peerage as Baron Archer in 1747. Or perhaps it simply had the double purpose of being a ‘striking object’ from the house, and a reminder to those walking or riding in the park to stop and look back at the mansion and grounds, the view being ‘good from the obelisk’.

Lady Luxborough, of nearby Barrells, took a keen interest in the architectural enterprises of her landed neighbours, and in 1749 wrote to a friend that she was dining with Lord Archer and intended to judge for herself how the obelisk looked from the house – another of her acquaintance had told her it was too tapered to have a good effect. Lady Luxborough also noted that Archer’s obelisk was to carry a finial in the form of a gilded globe and cross.

The ‘cross’, as erected, was more accurately described in a contemporary fragment as a ‘large Star of Lead Gilt’, which would have glistened in the sun, making the obelisk even more of an eye-catcher.

The estate was sold in 1825 by the famed auctioneer George Robins, who is remembered for his sales patter. After the Umberslade sale one paper wrote that they would have to paraphrase his opening remarks, or it would ‘occupy a considerable portion of this column’. Robins became wealthy from his trade and was celebrated as:

George Robins, of auction renown,
Who made a great fortune by knocking things down.

Umberslade Park, complete with ‘Obelisk’, was knocked down to Mr Edward Bolton King. He stayed until 1846 when a change of occupier must have led to a number of famous faces gazing upon the obelisk from the windows of the mansion. The hall became a Hydropathic Establishment under the direction of Dr Edward Johnson, and his patients for the water cure included Alfred Tennyson, Florence Nightingale and Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton.

The lack of inscription gave the community the chance to add their own fanciful histories to the structure. In 1929 the local vicar wrote that one of his parishioners was certain that Lord Archer’s favourite hunter was buried underneath the obelisk, whilst another old resident was convinced it commemorated a member of Lord Archer’s family who had taken their own life. Another source notes that the obelisk is supposed to mark the spot where Warwickshire’s last coven of witches gathered.

The obelisk still carried its sphere and star finial in 1966, but by 1974 the star could be viewed at closer quarters, as it lay crumpled on the ground. Its current whereabouts are unknown: hopefully it is tucked in the corner of a store somewhere, but as it was made of lead the Flâneuse fears it is long gone.

The obelisk remains an eye-catcher, but not for the inhabitants of Umberslade Hall. The mansion was divided into apartments after being sold by the Muntz family, owners of the estate since the late nineteenth century, who continue to own much of the parkland. The M40 cuts between the mansion and the obelisk, and mature trees block the view from the hall. So it is motorists who get the prime view, albeit fleetingly and without the option to linger and appreciate it.  You can however leave the motorway and head for Pound House Lane, from where a footpath gets you close to the obelisk (grade II).

Although the base and lower half of the needle were swamped with ivy in the early years of this century, the vegetation has since been cleared and the obelisk looks rather fine.

The Flâneuse acknowledges the work of Dr Michael Cousins, whose article on the early history of the obelisk appeared in Follies (the magazine of the Folly Fellowship) in Spring 2006 (No. 63).

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On the northern edge of Stratford upon Avon is Clopton House, a handsome mansion which once stood in an extensive park. In 1837 Charles Thomas Warde inherited the Clopton estate from his uncle, and his improvements included this attractive castellated prospect tower.

Warde (1813-1865) built the prospect tower as a landmark for the hunt and a belvedere from which to admire the countryside. A painting dated 1838 shows Clopton House as it looked when he inherited, although Warde’s dogs and horses dominate the foreground.

Although we may admire the tower, unfortunately its builder was not so worthy of commendation. Initially a model squire, Warde was appointed High Sheriff of Warwickshire in 1846. But by 1860 he was featured in the press for all the wrong reasons. He was accused of ‘immoral conduct’ and castigated for ‘disgraceful squabbles’ which included assaulting his mistress, Miss Hooper, the mother of several of his children. He was accused of selling her clothes and having her imprisoned (as well as an even less savoury event involving ‘improper intercourse’). His wife had, perhaps unsurprisingly, left him some 12 years earlier.

Warde died in 1865 and his heirs sold the Clopton estate in 1873, with the ‘prospect tower’ noted in the sales particulars. In 1891 Clopton House was the seat of the Hodgson family, and ‘The Tower’ had by then been converted to a dwelling and was home to Charles James, a farm labourer. The estate changed hands again in 1930, when the purchaser was the Beecham family. Utica, first wife of Sir Thomas Beecham, made it her home (the couple lived largely separate lives, and were divorced in 1942). The tower remained a home until the middle of the twentieth century, becoming increasingly dilapidated, until in the 1960s Utica Beecham offered it for sale.

In 1969 the Coventry Evening Telegraph reported that were a ‘homeseeker with unusual tastes’ to walk into the estate agents and ask ‘Do you have a detached tower with a turret and battlements, nice and handy for town?’, the answer would be a resounding ‘Yes’.

The agent boasted of a great deal of interest and in January 1970 it was reported that the purchaser was a young London architect who planned to restore the tower as his home. The price was reported as ‘near £2,500’. Planning permission was granted for an extension to house a bedroom and bathroom, but work did not immediately begin, and in 1972 a local councillor asked for reassurance that the decaying fabric of the main fabric be dealt with ‘very soon’.

By 1974 the architect had concluded that for ‘personal reasons’ he was unable to move to Stratford upon Avon, and the tower was put up for sale at £13,000. Despite the agents again reporting a ‘tremendous amount of interest’, the tower was still on the market in 1975 for £9,500 and in 1976 for £8,750.

Eventually a sale was agreed, and the new owners extended the property. The tower changed hands again in 1984, when it was offered for sale by auction. The house was on the market again recently, when it was noted that the original footprint had ‘increased threefold’. Visiting in late June the Flâneuse found renovations underway.

The tower is listed at grade II. It remains a private house, but can be seen from public roads and footpaths. Clopton House has now been converted into apartments.

The obelisk seen across the fields from the tower was not on the Clopton estate but was a feature of the grounds of the adjacent Welcombe Manor (now a hotel). It was erected in 1876 by Robert Needham Philips to honour his brother Mark Philips.

There’s lots of information on the area here https://www.thewelcombehills.co.uk

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