Dunston Pillar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dunston Pillar is a stone tower in Lincolnshire, England and a former 'land lighthouse'. It stands beside the A15 road approximately 10 km south of Lincoln near the junction of the B1178 (also known as Tower Lane).
[edit] History
The original land lighthouse was built by Sir Francis Dashwood (better known as the founder of the Hellfire Club) in 1751 as a navigational aid to assist those crossing the heathland around Dunston and Nocton. The purpose of the land lighthouse was to improve the safety of 18th century travellers crossing a particularly treacherous area of the county known for its many incidents of highway robbery (including a number believed to have been carried out by the notorious highwayman, Dick Turpin).
The structure originally stood 30 metres high (90 feet) with a large octagonal lantern on top of the tower. The lantern was regularly lit until 1788 and was used for the last time in 1808 by which time improvements in the local road network had effectively made it obsolete.
In 1808, the lantern was destroyed in a storm and was replaced with a bust of King George III by the Earl of Buckinghamshire to celebrate fifty years of the king's reign.
At the height of the Battle of Britain in 1940, the pillar was considered to be a hazard to low-flying aircraft approaching nearby RAF Waddington, and was thus lowered by 10 metres to reduce the risk of accident. At this time the bust of King George III was removed and can now be seen in the grounds of Lincoln Castle.
The tower remains a well-known landmark and to this day is clearly visible beside the busy road at grid reference TF008620
