Standing on the river Thames this 60ft high granite obelisk, weighing almost 186 tons and dating from 1475 BC, was given to the British in 1819 by the Turkish Viceroy of Egypt.

While trying to move the needle, it toppled over into the sand and lay there for many years, until an English engineer John Dixon, who had been working in Alexandra at the time, was given the task of solving the problem.

A cylindrical pontoon was constructed at a cost of £15,000 and the obelisk was towed out to sea. While travelling through the Bay of Biscay the obelisk was nearly lost, due to storms, it finally reached London in January 1878.
 

Originally, it was intended to be erected in front of Parliament, but instead it was erected on the Embankment.

The obelisk has dedications to various gods carved into it. There are also symbols representing the Pharaoh Tethmosis III. Ramese II and Cleopatra were added at a later date.

Buried beneath the obelisk are a set of coins, the morning newspaper of the day, a razor, box of pins, four bibles in different languages, railway guide and twelve photos of the best looking Englishwomen of the day.

You can also see lots of indentations at the base of the needle; this is shrapnel damage from World War I.