Obelisk at the Centre of St George's Circus is a Grade II* listed building in the Southwark local planning authority area, England. First listed on 2 March 1950. Obelisk.

Obelisk at the Centre of St George's Circus

WRENN ID
north-wall-honey
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Southwark
Constituency
Bermondsey and Old Southwark MP: Neil Coyle (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
2 March 1950
Type
Obelisk
OS grid reference
TQ 316 794
Coordinates
51.4987, -0.10476
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The obelisk at the center of St George's Circus is a stone structure erected in 1771 by Robert Mylne. Originally located in St George's Circus, it was removed in 1905. The obelisk features inscriptions on its four faces: the north face states "ERECTED IN XI YEAR OF THE REIGN OF KING GEORGE THE THIRD. MDCCLXXI. THE RIGHT HONOURABLE BRASS CROSBY ESQUIRE, LORD MAYOR"; the south face reads "ONE MILE, CCCL FEET FROM FLEET STREET," with the arms of the City of London below; the east face indicates "ONE MILE FROM PALACE YARD, WESTMINSTER HALL"; and the west face states "ONE MILE, XXXX FEET FROM LONDON BRIDGE."

Historically, this obelisk was part of a grand planning scheme by Mylne for Blackfriars Bridge Road, serving as a focal point and signpost for roads radiating from the south into the city. In around 1897, it was removed to accommodate a Victoria Diamond Jubilee clock-tower and was later re-erected in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park on Lambeth Road, where it was listed in 1950. In 1998, it was returned to its original position. The obelisk is part of a significant group with several nearby structures, including the Duke of Clarence Public House, Nos 123-131 London Road, Nos 113-119 Borough Road, the former Presbyterian Chapel, and St George the Martyr Library.

Local climate

Obelisk at the Centre of St George's Circus 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 95% 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 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 57% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 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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