It took 133 years but Penshaw Monument was lined up for official recognition almost 50 years ago - as a picnic area. The landmark had already been fulfilling the role ever since it was opened in 1844 . Sign up to our Wearside Echoes Newsletters.
A monthly round-up of our retro best bits Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Sunderland Echo, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Advertisement Advertisement Read More Tables, benches and landscaping But in 1977 , the monument and surrounding hillside was among a number of beauty spots in the area earmarked for development as picnic sites. Sunderland Borough Council’s Leisure Committee prepared a report setting out locations and the facilities it would hope to provide.
By then, Penshaw Hill had long been a favourite spot for picnics and had an Easter tradition for family paste egg rolling. A copy of the Temple of Diana The monument was built to the memory of the first Earl of Durham, John George Lambton, who was at one time Governor General of Canada. Advertisement Advertisement Penshaw Monument is a copy of the Temple of Diana except that the Wearside landmark is double the size.
Constructed out of gritstone from a quarry near Marsden it is 100 feet long, 53 feet wide, 70 feet high at one end and 63 feet high at the other. A £2,500 bill to set it all u p A typical site would cost about £2,500 to prepare, including .
