Philae obelisk

The Philae obelisk stands in the gardens of Kingston Lacy estate and rises to approximately 22 feet high, with a striking pink granite surface. The entire structure is covered with carved hieroglyphic inscriptions that run down its height, displaying the craftsmanship of ancient Egyptian artisans.

A British explorer discovered this stone on an Egyptian island in 1815 and later arranged its transport to England, arriving in December 1821. The journey across the sea and complex installation process reflect the 19th-century obsession with collecting Egyptian monuments in Europe.

The bilingual inscriptions combine Egyptian hieroglyphics with Greek text, showing how different ancient cultures communicated and shared knowledge. Walking around the stone today, you can see these carved messages that connected two worlds and reflect how information traveled across the Mediterranean.

The monument is accessible during Kingston Lacy estate's opening hours and sits in the maintained gardens along clearly marked paths. The setting offers several viewing angles to examine the inscriptions and the stone's full height from different perspectives.

Nineteen horses were needed to raise the massive stone into position during its transport to England, with assistance from a gun carriage belonging to a renowned British general. This extraordinary logistical effort reveals how treasured this monument became once it arrived.