Penshaw Monument is the local landmark for the counties of Tyne & Wear and north Durham. It dominates the skyline for miles around and for Wearsiders in particular and to many living in Tyneside and Durham, Penshaw Monument is the sign of home. The monument was built in 1844 in honour of John George Lambton, the first Earl of Durham.

Designed as a copy of the Theseion, the Temple of Hephaestus, in Athens, it has also been linked with the Temple of Diana at Ephesus and is twice the size of the original. It was designed by Newcastle architects, John and Benjamin Green and built by Thomas Pratt of Sunderland. The foundation stone was laid on 28th August 1844, four years after the death of the Earl.

This structure also features in some of my other galleries