£872,800 to reopen column of general who lost his leg to a cannonball in the battle of Waterloo
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded the Anglesey Column Trust the sum of £872,800 towards restoring and reopening the Marquess of Anglesey’s Column site.
The column and statue in Llanfairpwllgwyngyll were constructed in 1817 to memorialise the first Marquess’s role in the Battle of Waterloo, where he led charge of the heavy cavalry.
Just before the end of the battle, he was struck on the leg by a cannonball and is recorded to have said: “By God, sir, I have lost my leg.” The Duke of Wellington who was sat on horseback nearby replied: “By God, sir, so you have.” He later had what was left of the limb removed.
The column closed in 2012 when the internal staircase was deemed unsafe. The money will now be spent on ensuring that those who cannot ascend the Column have access to the base of the Column and to a spectacular new viewing platform.
‘Huge stride’
Responding to the news of the lottery funding, the 8th and current Marquess of Anglesey and Chair of the Anglesey Column Trust Committee said it was “incredibly good news for our project”.
“We’re extremely grateful to both the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their award and of course to National Lottery players who made it possible,” he said.
“Since we launched our campaign to restore and reopen the Column, the support and positive feedback we’ve received from the local community and interest groups has been fantastic. The overwhelming response has been that people want to be able to enjoy the Column site again and that its heritage and history are very important to a great number of people.
“We still need to raise a significant amount of money to match fund the grant offers we’ve received to date, but today’s news is a huge stride in the right direction and it’s great to know that we are a step closer to preserving the Column for generations to come.”
A small cottage, previously used by the gatekeeper, which is also listed, sits alongside the column. The Column is surrounded by four acres of woodland and the site is of geological (UNESCO Site13 Geopark GeoMôn) and archaeological importance.
The Trust will provide a visitor welcome area in the cottage, as well as space for learning activities and school visits. Interpretation throughout the scheme will tell the stories of the Column and the First Marquess.
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What a waste of money…give it to the survivors of Grenfell!
Anyone seen Paget-Brown lately?
He must be collecting shell companies on the Cayman Islands!
I never took the opportunity to climb the tower when I was young(er). In my early seventies, I’m wondering whether I shall still be fit enough to try, once it’s repaired. How many steps are there? Perhaps I can practice running up and down the stairs every day till then.
By the way, a friend says, ‘one trusts the restoration will include the missing leg’.
Don’t understand the hostility to the statue if I’m honest, even if he was an anglo norman lord fighting in service to London’s empire. Educational signing at the site to contextualise his story would be sufficient. Attacking a statue such as this doesn’t get our native history any more recogised. Jumping in bed with the statue topplers won’t do Cymru any favours, because the political ideologues you would align yourself with in doing so will never tolerate anything remotely resembling nativism amongst pale skinned people.
Do you get the connection between the one legged bloke on top of the column and the 72 departed souls atop that modern day wicker man (Grenfell tower block)?
That money could be better used than providing students with an alternative to jumping off Menai Bridge!