The History

of

Penshaw Monument.

History.

Penshaw Hill, on which the monument is built, is associated with the local legend and song about the Lambton Worm

Penshaw Monument is Sunderland's most prominent landmark. It dominates the skyline and standing on Penshaw hill it's visible for miles around.

The monument itself was erected in 1844, paid for by public subscription and designed by John and Benjamin Green it is modelled on the Theseum at Athens. It is dedicated to John George Lambton, born 1792, first Earl of Durham, Grand Master of the Order of Freemasons, Member of Parliament, one time Lord Privy Seal, landowner and coal owner.and the first Governor of Canada, otherwise known as Radical Jack..

Thomas Pratt was a Sunderland builder who actually built Penshaw Monument, in 1844. The Monument was built not a parthenon on solid rock, but on a scrub covered hillock as a result it looks better from afar. A way marked circular walk of about three and a half miles links Penshaw Monument to both natural and industrial archaeological features above the near by River Wear. Penshaw hill on which the Monument was built is also round which the legendary Lambton Worm was suppose to have wound itself ten times.

Penshaw Hill is a hill fort so far missed by archaeology because of a later addition - A mock greek temple. Because of this little is known about it other than the physical and some limited documentary evidence. Penshaw is the only triple rampart Iron Age hill fort known to exist in the north of England. It has a similar feel to Almondbury, and probably dates from the early to mid Iron Age. To add to the mistique, Penshaw Monument, which is built on top, may have been built using stone taken from a Roman dam at Sunderland.

"The village of Penshaw is about three miles north-by-east of Houghton-le-Spring, and "derives its name from the British Pen and the Saxon Shaw, a wood or thicket; thus Penshaw is the wooded hill." On the top of a lofty eminence, called Painshaw Hill, is a Grecian monument, erected to the memory of the late Right Hon. John Lambton, Earl of Durham, the foundation stone of which was laid on the 28th August 1844 by the Earl of Zetland. The estimated cost of the erection was about £6000.

George Elliott.

George Elliott was born in Penshaw in 1815, the son of a pit man. He left school at the age of nine to work in Washington Colliery, later he studied at night school and progressed to become manager of Washington Colliery. Over the next few years he quickly rose through the ranks and soon became owner of neighbouring pits such as Oxclose , Biddick and Penshaw. Thereafter he also bought other pits throughout the country as well as pits in South Wales.
He persuaded the prime minister, Disraeli to buy shares in the Suez Canal. This gave Great Britain the control of the sea route to India. George Elliott became a member of Parliament in 1868, he was made a Baronet by Queen Victoria in 1874.
When he died in 1893 he was buried in Houghton Le Spring, his funeral was attended by Statesmen, Lords and pitmen.

Lambton Castle

Lambton Castle is across the Wear to the west of Penshaw and Shiney Row. The castle was the home of the Lambton family whose ancestor, as the folk song tells us, went fishing in the Wear instead of attending Sunday church. The song goes on to say that he caught a monstrous worm (or dragon). For reasons known only to young Lambton, he put it in a well where it grew to enormous size and terrorized the neighbourhood. Luckily for him, he was on a crusade while the reign of terror took place.
Returning, he met a witch who told him how to kill the worm. This meant wading into the river wearing specially protected armour. Another condition was, he must kill the next living thing he saw, or 'the lords of Lambton would not die in their beds for nine generations. His father released an old dog, hoping vainly in the event that this would be the first living creature young Lambton met. Although the ballard is set in the time of the Crusades, it seems to echo old dragon slaying epics Beowulf for example. Lambton Castle is basically a 19th century creation, used at one time as a teacher training college. The present holder of the title lives at Biddick Hall.