I was at Wellington Monument, somewhere I had never been before. I have driven past it many times and seen it many more from the M5 motorway as I've sped west into Devon, but I had never actually walked up to it. Predictably, the Wellington Monument is near the small town of Wellington. I'm actually quite proud of its connections. When Arthur Wellesley, the great eighteenth and nineteenth century general and politician, was being given a peerage in recognition of his service to the country, which included his native Ireland at the time, he went off to seek out his family's roots. The closest place he could find to his own family name, and the discovery of the fact that he had Somerset ancestors, meant that he chose Wellington for his title. Lord Wellington became the Duke of Wellington in time. What makes me very proud is that New Zealand's capital city is named after him, and he chose Wellington as his title, so Wellington, New Zealand, gets its name from Wellington in Somerset.
 |
| There is a lovely long walk through an avenue of beech trees from the car park to the clearing where the monument stands. |
 |
 |
| This was a mistake, but turns out to be one of my favourite photos from all the thousands I have taken. Just as I was approaching the monument I needed to change the lens on my camera. I sort of did it on the hoof and very obviously didn't lock it into place properly. This meant that all the electronic stuff that I don't understand wasn't working and so, when I clicked to take my next photo, it made none of the compensations it should have done. The result was this over-exposed ghostly image, which I think is fantastic. |
 |
| This is what that photo should have been like, more or less. |
 |
| Pussy willow |
 |
 |
| This is a cannon used, I believe, at Waterloo. It's a shame about the fence around the obelisk itself, but I suppose there is a need. |
 |
 |
 |
 And the walk back is just as lovely as the walk there. |
