The Captain goes climbing the column
Scene on the Sound, by our maritime correspondent The Captain
Devonport Column was built to celebrate the renaming of ‘Dock’ as Devonport by King George IV on January 1 1824, so its Centenary is being celebrated this year. The Doric granite column is 38m (124ft) high and there are 137 steps – with no passing or resting places!
The designer was John Foulston, the architect of the Town Hall, Egyptian House & the ‘Hindoo’ chapel (destroyed during the Blitz) on Ker Street. The plan was to cap the column with a statue of King George IV, but that never happened. The views from the top are excellent!
The Devonport Column is open to visitors on Wednesdays & Saturdays.
Try booking at https://real-immersive.realideas.org/whats-on/devonport-column-visit-952562509107, but note that the timings on their website are not necessarily correct. Once you click through to the Eventbrite website, you will get the correct times – either 11 am or 1 pm over the next couple of weeks. It’s £3.69 for adults & £2.09 for children.
