Status Complete Architectural style Victorian Egyptian Height 22 m | Type Obelisk, sewer vent Country Australia Opened 1857 | |
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Alternative names Thornton's Scent Bottle Address Junction of Bathurst and Elizabeth Streets, Sydney, New South Wales Similar Archibald Fountain, Hyde Park - Sydney, Museum railway station, Horizon Tower, Cleopatra's Needle | ||
The Hyde Park Obelisk is an obelisk in the Victorian Egyptian architectural style located in Hyde Park in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The obelisk sits at the intersection of Elizabeth Street and Bathurst Street. The obelisk was built as a sewer vent.
Contents
Map of Hyde Park Obelisk, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
History
Unveiled in 1857 by the then Lord Mayor, George Thornton, it served as a sewerage duct vent to allow the escape of noxious gases from the sewer (although it now ventilates the stormwater system, following works to separate Sydney's sewerage and stormwater systems). The Hyde Park Obelisk was the first special sewer ventilation shaft built in Sydney and New South Wales, and is the only example of a sewer ventshaft constructed of sandstone within the Sydney Water system. It was modeled on Cleopatra's Needle on the banks of London's River Thames. The overall structure is 22 metres (72 ft) high, which comprises a square sandstone base 6.5 metres (21 ft) high. The vent at the top is a filigreed bronze pyramid.
On 7 November 2014, the Hyde Park Obelisk was covered with a giant pink condom as a temporary installation to raise awareness about HIV, primarily in Sydney's homosexual community.
It is also jokingly referred to as Thornton's Scent Bottle.