Pole Hill

After the erection of the Greenwich Meridian obelisk mentioned below, it appears to have acquired the cognomen of Polar Hill, but this soon dropped out of use.

[2] On the summit of the hill is an obelisk made of granite and bearing the following inscription:[3] This pillar was erected in 1824 under the direction of the Reverend John Pond, MA, Astronomer Royal.

It was placed on the Greenwich Meridian and its purpose was to indicate the direction of true north from the transit telescope of the Royal Observatory.

The Greenwich Meridian as changed in 1850 and adopted by international agreement in 1884 as the line of zero longitude passes 19 feet to the east of this pillar.

Enthused with the ideals of medievalism and craftsmanship in the style of William Morris, they planned to house their press in a medieval-style timber hall to be designed by the architect Herbert Baker and built himself a small hut there in which he lived for several years.