This is one of Mad Jack Fuller's follies built in and around
Brightling East Sussex. If you stand near the cache you'll have a
great view of the obelisk (picture by: Go Pack Go). There used to
be a public footpath to the obelisk but this is now blocked. The
path is no longer marked on the OS 1:50,000 map.
Also known as the Brightling Needle, this obelisk stands atop a
hill, variously known as Brightling Down and Brightling Beacon,
that is 646' above sealevel, making it the second highest point in
East Sussex.
The obelisk itself is 65' high. The reason for its existence is
open to conjecture. Some sources claim that it was erected to
commemorate Nelson's victory at Trafalgar in 1805. Still others
purport that it stands in celebration of Wellington's victory over
Napoleon in 1815. It seems odd, however, that there is no
inscription on the monument, another mystery left by Fuller.
In 1985, extensive renovations were carried out to strengthen
and stabilize the obelisk. Two local men who were involved with
earlier repairs scratched these words into the structure: R Croft,
1899; and Charles Croft, July 29, 1889, aged 16 years.