Monolith (Empyrean) Sculpture in Grounds of Kenwood is a Grade II listed building in the Camden local planning authority area, England. First listed on 15 April 1998. Sculpture.
Monolith (Empyrean) Sculpture in Grounds of Kenwood
- WRENN ID
- silver-chimney-thrush
- Grade
- II
- Local Planning Authority
- Camden
- Constituency
- Hampstead and Highgate MP: Tulip Siddiq (Lab)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 15 April 1998
- Type
- Sculpture
- Address
- Monolith (Empyrean) Sculpture in Grounds of Kenwood, Hampstead Lane
- OS grid reference
- TQ 269 873
- Coordinates
- 51.57102, -0.16974
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Monolith (Empyrean) sculpture is a vertical abstract sculpture created in 1953 by Barbara Hepworth for the London County Council. Originally located on the South Bank, it was moved to the grounds of Kenwood in 1963. The sculpture is made of carved limestone and stands nearly nine feet high, featuring a vertical pierced slab. In the early 1950s, Hepworth was reaching maturity as a sculptor, and this piece is an early example of her interest in standing stones within the landscape. It has been suggested that the sculpture commemorates the death of Hepworth's son, Paul Skeaping, who was killed while flying for the RAF in Malaya in 1953. The sculpture complements its setting at Kenwood.
Local climate
Monolith (Empyrean) Sculpture in Grounds of Kenwood sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 98% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 98% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 30 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 66% of listed buildings. Of these, 13 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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- No EPC on record for this property
- No sale records on file
- No related consent applications matched
- Detailed attributes — period, style, materials, features
- Flood risk assessment
- Radon risk assessment
- Weather exposure and heating demand — rain and frost month by month and year by year, wind direction, solar and humidity
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