Camberley Obelisk, 18th century folly in Surrey, England.
Camberley Obelisk is a truncated brick tower standing on a wooded hilltop, measuring roughly 30 feet tall with walls approximately 5 feet thick. All former entrances to the interior have been sealed with iron grids, making it inaccessible from the outside.
John Norris built this structure between 1765 and 1770, originally reaching about 100 feet in height. Damage sustained over the centuries gradually reduced it to its present truncated form.
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst cadets used the structure for surveying practice since 1801, carving their names into the brick walls. These inscriptions remain visible today and tell the story of its role in military training.
The structure sits on a wooded hilltop about 200 yards east of Camberley town center, accessible via local paths and roads. Since the interior is sealed off, you can only view it from the outside and examine its details from a distance.
Despite its name, the building has a square form rather than the pointed shape typical of traditional obelisks. This unusual departure from convention makes it visually distinctive.
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