Keppel's Column

Keppel's Column is a 115-foot (35 m)[1][2][3] tower Grade II* listed building between Wentworth and Kimberworth in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. Keppel's Column is one of several follies in and around Wentworth Woodhouse park; the others include Hoober Stand and Needle's Eye.

Keppel's Column
Keppel's Column
TypeFolly
LocationWentworth
Coordinates53°26′53″N 1°24′55″W
OS grid referenceSK 38941 94731
AreaSouth Yorkshire
Built1773-1780
ArchitectJohn Carr
Listed Building – Grade II*
Official nameKeppels Column
Designated19 February 1986
Reference no.1314632
Location of Keppel's Column in South Yorkshire

History

The column was built in the late-18th century to commemorate the acquittal of the court-martialled Admiral Augustus Keppel after the Battle of Ushant. It was commissioned in 1773 by Charles Watson-Wentworth, 2nd Marquess of Rockingham and designed by John Carr.[2] The column was finished in 1780. It was initially intended to be a landscape feature composed of pedestal surmounted by an obelisk, though at some stage the design was changed to a tall column.

Structure

It visibly bulges due to an entasis correction, which was rendered inappropriate when funding problems reduced the height. The column, which has an internal spiral staircase, is located on a prominent hill on the southern extent of the Wentworth Estates. The hill is more than 480ft above mean sea level and is one of the highest hills in the Borough of Rotherham, second only to the hill on which Hoober Stand is located.

Keppel's Column has been closed to the public since the 1960s[4] due to being unsafe, as it is now in a derelict state. The column can be viewed at close quarters from the public footpath running from Admiral's Crest in Scholes.

References
  1. "Keppels Column, Keppel, Rotherham". www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  2. "Keppel's Column". wentworthvillage.net. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  3. Historic England. "Keppels Column (1314632)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
  4. "Crumbling heritage action call Town's historic buildings at risk, council is warned". The Yorkshire Post. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2018.

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