Hyde Park Obelisk, Sewer vent obelisk in Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia
The Hyde Park Obelisk is a 22-meter (72-foot) sandstone column at the corner of Elizabeth and Bathurst Streets, decorated with Egyptian-style elements and topped with a bronze pyramid. It functions as a ventilation shaft for Sydney's historic sewerage system.
It was built in 1857 under Mayor George Thornton's direction as part of Sydney's first planned underground sewerage network. The structure represents an early engineering response to managing waste in a growing city.
Local residents call it Thornton's Scent Bottle because of how it releases sewer gases above street level through its design. The Egyptian-style decorations reflect Victorian fascination with exotic architectural elements.
The obelisk sits at the eastern end of Hyde Park and is accessible throughout the day to pedestrians exploring the area. It serves as a helpful landmark when navigating the park and surrounding streets.
This structure combines Victorian Egyptian architectural elements with practical plumbing engineering and is the only vaulted vent shaft in Sydney's water system. The careful design shows how 19th-century engineers merged function with visual style.
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