Building record 0533800000 - GOTT'S MONUMENT

Grade II. Obelisk milestone constructed in 1785, restored in 1879 and altered in the 1960s. Flint rubble with an inscribed stone plaque surrounded by a brick border. The plaque is at horseback height. The inscription on the plaque reads:'1785 To NEWLAND I Mile III Furl.g's To Chesham VII Miles Built by Sir H T Gott Restored by W Brown in 1879 To Denham IV Miles To Uxbridge VI Miles LONDON XXI'. There is also an incised pointing hand between the 17 and 85 of the first line of inscription. HISTORY: The monument was erected in 1785 by Sir H T Gott, and sits at the entrance to the Chalfont Epilepsy colony. Local tradition suggests that the monument either commemorates a hunt attended by George III, or an incident in which the king got lost in the forest surrounding the monument. The monument was damaged by a lightning strike in 1879, and repaired by W Brown. After a second lightning strike in the 1960s the height of the obelisk was reduced from 60ft to about 20ft. SOURCES: C Haines, Marking the Miles, A History of English Milestones (Norwich, 2000), 97. Summary of Importance: Milestones are important indicators of C18 and C19 road use, in a period which saw significant changes to transport and road engineering. Gott's Monument is a historically very interesting because of its combined use as both milestone and commemorative monument. Selected Sources: 1. Article Reference - Author: Page, William - Title: The Victoria History of the County of Buckingham - Date: 1908 - Journal Title: The Victoria History of the Counties of England (B1,B7).
Obelisk named after Sir Henry Gott. Erected in 1785 (B3).
Erected to commemorate George III being present at the killing of a stag here. Bears date 1770 (B2).
Made of flint. Stands on brick base. Restored 1879. Plaque records distances to Chesham, Denham, Uxbridge, London, Newland. Also used as a beacon (B4).
Errected in about 1785 as a way-marker for important visitors to Newland Park. Reduced to half its original height when struck by lightning in 1964 (B5).
Recorded as present in 2003 on updated Milestones Society survey website on unclassified road on Uxbridge to Amersham route National ID Nuumber BU_LC21a. Next to Monument cottages on Micholls Road. [Detailed description, location and photograph] (B6).
This monument was close to The Wendover and Oak Lane Turnpike road. The park was expanded by Capability Brown and he asked permission to move the turnpike road 300 yards westward. County map surveyed in 1766 showed the new road and the old road still visible in the park (B8).
Conditrion survey by Oxley Conservation in May 2011 (B9).