Waterloo Monument



The Waterloo Monument near Ancrum in the Scottish Borders is a 150 foot tower, built between 1817 and 1824 to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. It was designed by the architect Archibald Elliot, after the original monument designed by William Burn collapsed.

The monument stands on Peniel Heugh, OS ref: NT 653263, a hill between Ancrum and Nisbet, Roxburghshire. Although technically on private land, walkers may park at the Harestanes Visitor Centre and then follow the marked walk to the top of the hill. The tower is not open to the public, although a key to the monument can be borrowed at a small cost from the Lothian Estates Office in nearby Bonjedward. Inside the monument is a spiral staircase leading to the balcony which encircles the top of the tower.

On 1 May 2011, a temporary zip wire was erected at the monument as part of a fundraising event for the Anthony Nolan charity. The zip wire, built by Vertical Events, is believed to be the longest ever set up in the UK and was 1500 ft long.