The story of Cleopatra’s Needle
Phil George
- Region:
- Essex
- Notice Period:
- Short (maybe less than one month's notice)
- Type:
- Hobby
- Fee:
- Paid: £30 plus travelling
- Category:
- History
- Updated:
- 30th March 2026
Standing on the north bank of the Thames is the obelisk known as Cleopatra's Needle. It may seem just a lump of granite, but it has a fascinating and little-known history.
Hear the remarkable way the ancient Egyptians created this monolith and how and why it was moved around Egypt. Leaping forward 1800 years you will discover why the British wanted the obelisk in London and the many obstacles to achieving this.
Then learn of how it was finally brought to London. This part of the story is all about Victorian engineering and innovation, the near loss of the obelisk at sea, and the tragic death of some sailors.
Once in London, however, nothing was straight forward including debates over where to place it and a costly court case. These were resolved and it was finally raised on the Embankment - with a time-capsule buried beneath it!
The audience will go away saying "well I never knew that."
Fully illustrated talk.
Views: 466 | Enquiries: 1About Phil George
I have always had an interest in history, local history and family history. In the 1980s I studied at the Open University and achieved an honours degree in history.
Since then, I have carried out a great deal of research as a writer for both print and online. For 15 years I was a self-employed genealogist which included research for the television programme Who Do You Think You Are.
I have written a book on the history of Kelvedon Hatch, and I give guided tours of Kelvedon Hall which is the subject of one of my talks.
For the last ten years I have organised a local history group, so I appreciate the difficulty of finding speakers and I thought it was now time to help out other groups and organisation by becoming a speaker myself.
I am willing to do emergency, short notice or regular talks. If I am available, then I'll do it!
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