A Lincolnshire Lad - Dunston Pillar Poem by Christopher Tye

A Lincolnshire Lad - Dunston Pillar

A shadow of what it once like so much in Lincolnshire,
Like so much around here cut short by the Second World War,
Once reaching for the skies at one hundred and seven foot tall,
Cut down in height to add Lincolnshire's bomber fleet.

Built by the founder of The Hellfire Club in 1751,
Sir Francis Dashwood of Nocton Hall the infamous man himself,
Erected for the benefit of the public good,
When built the pillar had a fifteen foot high lantern.

The heathland was a dangerous place to travel,
At that time a great desolate expanse with few tracks,
The lantern brought light to guide the traveller,
Winter snows, freezing temperatures and Highwaymen added to the danger.

The Earl of Buckingham, Lord Hobart of Nocton made changes,
In 1810 to commemorate the fiftieth year of King George III's reign,
The lantern was removed to make way for the new,
A large statue of a bust of King George III instead,
Made of Coade stone an artificial hard material,
A sad occurrence was the death of a mason after a fall during the changes.

During the Georgian to Edwardian ages,
Dunston Pillar was at it's most magnificent,
Horse race meetings where hold upon the heathland around the pillar,
The great and the good watched on and had tea parties at the base of the pillar.

The bust of King George III was pulled down and damaged,
The pillar was reduced in height at the same time,
Scores of airfields were built across Lincolnshire's "Bomber County",
So with hundreds of the RAF's heavy bombers lumbering into the air,
This fate meet Dunston Pillar and many windmills to keep the bomber boy's safe.

The remains of Dunston Pillar still stand as a reminder of the past,
Even used once as part of an art exhibition bedecked with lights,
King George III's statue still survives in exile nearby,
Now living within the safety of Lincoln Castle's walls.

By Christopher Tye