Repairs planned at historic Alnwick monument

Northumberland Estates has submitted an application seeking permission to carry out repairs on the Grade I listed Percy Tenantry Column.

It is planned to carry out masonry repairs and replace architectural lighting damaged by vandalism with more efficient LED fittings.

A repositioning of the high level balustrading is also proposed to prevent water ponding and associated problems.

The imposing Greek Doric column was built in 1816 as a ‘thank you’ to Hugh, second Duke of Northumberland, who sought to alleviate the hardship of his tenants when agricultural prices fell after the Napoleonic Wars by reducing their rents by 25%.

It is topped by a lion passant, the Percy Lion. At each corner of the main pedestal there are four smaller, separate pedestals, each one supporting a recumbent lion.

It has been suggested this feature may have inspired Landseer's lions at the foot of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.