Shugborough inscription, Stone inscription at Shepherd's Monument in Colwich, England
The Shugborough inscription consists of ten letters carved on stone - OUOSVAVV arranged above DM - beneath a relief of Poussin's Shepherds of Arcadia painting.
Created between 1748 and 1763, Thomas Anson commissioned the monument while his brother Admiral George Anson provided funding for the mysterious inscription's construction.
The inscription represents classical design elements of eighteenth-century British architecture, integrating Latin references with architectural features in a symmetrical arrangement.
Visitors reach the inscription by following marked paths through Shugborough Hall gardens, with regular guided tours explaining the various decoding theories.
Multiple decryption attempts, including efforts by Bletchley Park code experts and noted scholars, failed to determine the meaning of these seemingly random letters.
Location: Colwich
Part of: Shepherd's Monument at Shugborough Hall
GPS coordinates: 52.80140,-2.01250
Latest update: May 27, 2025 06:52
Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal
856 m
Essex Bridge, Staffordshire
274 m
Shugborough Hall
159 m
Garden bridge at Shugborough Hall
56 m
Black country ring
392 m
Cat's Monument at Shugborough Hall to north of the house
103 m
Church of St Stephen, Great Haywood
512 m
Roman Catholic Church of St John the Baptist
569 m
North range of outbuildings of Shugborough Park Farm
772 m
Shepherd's Monument at Shugborough Hall
11 m
Doric temple at Shugborough Hall to north of the house
67 m
Trent Lane Canal Bridge
346 m
Great Haywood Post Office
424 m
Chinese House At Shugborough Hall
67 m
Ruins at Shugborough Hall to north of the house
146 m
Fountain at Shugborough Hall to north west of the house
156 m
Mill Lane Railway Bridge
509 m
Farmhouse of Shugborough Park Farm
797 m
Milepost Trent and Mersey Canal at Heywood Junction immediately north of Mill Lane crossing
478 m
Trent Lane Railway Bridge
382 m
Bottle Lodge
976 m
Footbridge at Shugborough Park
521 m
Temple of the Winds at Shugborough Hall to north east of the house
727 m
1-4, Trent Lane
415 m
Trent Lodge
251 m
Great Haywood canal bridge No 109
380 m
Range of 4 cottages opposite numbers 1 to 4
406 m
Outbuildings to the south west of Shugborough Hall
220 mReviews
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