Keppel's Column: Work starts to reopen Rotherham tower
GoogleWork to restore and reopen an historic South Yorkshire monument is under way.
Keppel's Column, near Kimberworth in Rotherham, will be made safe and renovated at a cost of £480,000.
The Grade II* listed building stands 115ft (35m) high but is in an "extremely poor state of repair" with "significant structural issues", Rotherham Council said.
It has been inaccessible to visitors for more than 20 years due to its condition and eroding staircase.
The monument, built between 1773 and 1780, overlooks the nearby stately home of Wentworth Woodhouse.
It was constructed was to honour Admiral Augustus Viscount Keppel, a close friend of the Marquis of Rockingham who lived at Wentworth.
Leanne Buchan, for the council, said: "Keppel's Column is such an important landmark within the local community but is in extremely poor state of repair due to significant structural issues including cracking and stonework erosion."
The work is due to be completed in spring 2022 when the column will open on selected days.
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