Penshaw Monument is a 70-foot (21-metre) Greek-style temple on top of Penshaw Hill, on the edge of Sunderland in Tyne and Wear, built in 1844 as a memorial to John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham. Modelled on the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, it’s visible for miles across the North East and has been cared for by the National Trust since 1950. The hill and monument are free to visit and open all day, every day. On selected dates in spring and summer, the National Trust runs short guided tours up a hidden staircase inside one of the columns to the top.

History of Penshaw Monument

Penshaw Hill Before the Monument

Penshaw Hill was a landmark long before the monument. According to the National Trust, quarrying has destroyed most evidence of prehistoric activity, but a round enclosure on its southern slopes suggests the hill was used during the Iron Age. On 6 March 1644, during the First English Civil War, Scottish cavalrymen camped on the hill and watched the retreat of Scottish soldiers pursued by Royalist troops before the Battle of Boldon Hill.

‘Radical Jack’: John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham

John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham (1792–1840), was elected MP for County Durham in 1813 at the age of 21, and his reforming politics earned him the nickname ‘Radical Jack’. As Lord Privy Seal in Earl Grey’s government, he helped draft the Reform Bill that became law in 1832. The National Trust notes that it increased the number of people who could vote by more than half and abolished many ‘rotten boroughs’, though voting was still limited to around one in five adult men.

Lord Durham, Canada and New Zealand

Lord Durham’s record abroad is more contested. He was a founding member and, from 1825, a director of the New Zealand Company, which promoted the colonisation of New Zealand and the removal of Māori communities from much of the south of the country. In 1838 he became Governor-in-Chief of Canada, where his answer to the recent rebellions was to unite Upper and Lower Canada into a single colony, a plan that excluded Indigenous peoples and reduced the influence of French-speaking Canadians. As the National Trust acknowledges, he remains an unpopular figure in some Canadian communities today.

John and Benjamin Green: Designing the Monument

Lord Durham died of tuberculosis on 28 July 1840, and his supporters raised £6,000 for a memorial. They chose Penshaw Hill, the tallest and most visible hill in the area. After a first approved design proved unpopular, the Newcastle father-and-son architects John and Benjamin Green were appointed. Taking their cue from another entry based on the Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, built around 450–440 BC, they designed a whole temple rather than the single column first proposed: smaller than the original, with four Doric columns across each end and seven along each side.

Building the Monument, 1844

The Marquess of Londonderry donated stone from his County Durham quarries, and sand and lime came from the Earl of Durham’s own estate. The Sunderland builder Thomas Pratt built the monument, with a special tramway laid to haul materials up the hill. On 28 August 1844, Thomas, Earl of Zetland, Grand Master of the Freemasons, laid the foundation stone in front of around 400 Freemasons and some 30,000 spectators. Officially it is still ‘The Earl of Durham’s Monument’.

A Temple Without a Roof

Penshaw Monument was designed to be seen from a distance, and up close it has a surprise: it has no roof, and no inner rooms. The columns support a walkway around the top of the open shell, reached by a narrow spiral staircase built inside one of the columns. Access to the top was closed to the public for most of the 20th century following a fatal fall in 1926, and only reopened when the National Trust began guided tours in 2011.

The National Trust and the 1979 Rebuild

In 1950 the 4th Earl of Durham gave the monument to the National Trust. By the 1970s the ground beneath it was subsiding, partly because of mining in the area, and the whole building had to be dismantled and rebuilt to stabilise it, a project completed in 1979.

Symbol of the North East

Penshaw Monument is widely seen as a symbol of the North East. In 1996 Sunderland AFC unveiled a new club crest featuring its silhouette, as a nod to supporters from outside the city, especially County Durham. Since 1988, Sunderland City Council has regularly floodlit the monument in different colours to mark special occasions.

The Lambton Worm

The Lambton Worm is the local legend attached to the hill. In the story, a giant serpent-like worm terrorised the countryside around the Lambton estate, and, as the National Trust tells it, it wrapped itself around Penshaw Hill ten times, which folklore credits for the hill’s stepped shape. It’s a legend, of course: the terraces on the slopes are most likely the result of earlier land use and quarrying. The National Trust’s 2.6-mile Lambton Worm walk explores the story on the ground.

Visiting Penshaw Monument: Practical Information

Opening times: The hill and monument are open all day, every day, all year round.

Admission: Free. You only pay for a Tour to the Top.

Address: Chester Road, Penshaw, Tyne & Wear, DH4 7NJ. The National Trust gives the main entrance and steps as what3words ///boxing.shows.large.

How long to allow: Half an hour to an hour for the climb and the views; longer if you add the woodland or the Lambton Worm walk.

Tours to the Top of Penshaw Monument

What happens: A guide leads you up 76 spiral steps inside one of the columns to the walkway at the top, where you can look for Durham Cathedral, Tynemouth Priory, the Cheviot Hills and the Victoria Viaduct.

Price and booking: £5 per ticket. Booking is essential for everyone, including National Trust members, through the National Trust’s website or on 0344 249 1895.

When: Only on selected dates, in 20-minute slots of up to five people. In 2026 the final slots are on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September, from 11am to 3pm. Dates for 2027 hadn’t been published at the time of checking; the tours usually return in spring.

Rules: Children must be at least 1 metre tall, all under-18s must be with an adult, and everyone needs their own ticket. Wear closed-toe shoes, not heels, and leave large bags behind. Dogs can’t go up. Arrive at the monument at least five minutes early; late arrivals may not be admitted.

Is it for you? The staircase is narrow (about 50cm wide), dark and has no handrail, and you’ll wear a head torch. It isn’t suitable if you’re afraid of heights. Tours run in all but extreme weather.

Penshaw Monument Parking and Getting There

By car: On the A183, a mile from the A19. There’s limited on-road parking just off the A183 at the bottom of the hill, with more at Herrington Country Park on the other side of the A183.

By bus: Several buses stop at or near the base of the hill, including the 2, 2A and 78. Services can change at short notice, so check Go North East before travelling.

By train: The nearest station is Chester-le-Street, about 5 miles away.

The Walk Up and Accessibility

The climb: The main route up Penshaw Hill is fairly steep, via steps over uneven ground. For a gentler route, take the path through the gate to the left of the main entrance gate at the bottom of the hill.

Facilities: There’s no café, shop or toilets at the monument itself, so come prepared.

Dogs: Welcome on the hill, but keep them under close control and on a lead around grazing cattle.

Views, Walks and When to Visit

The view: On a clear day the National Trust says you may see the Cheviot Hills, about 50 miles away, and the spire of Durham Cathedral to the south.

Walks: Paths lead around the hill and into Penshaw Wood to the west. The Lambton Worm walk is a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) loop.

When to go: Spring and summer bring wild flowers across the hill and quarry slopes. Sunset is a favourite time for photographs, and the monument is often floodlit after dark.

Prices last checked: September 2026.
Opening hours and tour dates last checked: September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was Penshaw Monument built?

As a memorial to John George Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, known as ‘Radical Jack’, who helped draft the 1832 Reform Act. His supporters raised £6,000 to build it after he died in 1840.

When was Penshaw Monument built?

In 1844. The foundation stone was laid on 28 August 1844 in front of around 30,000 people.

Can you go to the top of Penshaw Monument?

Yes, but only on a booked National Trust Tour to the Top, which runs on selected spring and summer dates and costs £5. You climb 76 narrow, dark spiral steps inside one of the columns, and children must be at least 1 metre tall.

Is Penshaw Monument free?

Yes. The hill and monument are free to visit, all day, every day. Only the guided Tours to the Top have a charge.

Where do you park for Penshaw Monument?

There’s limited on-road parking just off the A183 at the bottom of Penshaw Hill, and more at Herrington Country Park across the A183.

Does Penshaw Monument have a roof?

No. Despite looking like a complete Greek temple from a distance, it has no roof and no inner rooms. The columns support a walkway around the top, reached by a staircase inside one column.

What is the Lambton Worm?

A local legend about a giant worm that terrorised the Lambton estate. According to the story, it coiled itself around Penshaw Hill ten times, which folklore says gave the hill its stepped shape.

Exploring the North East? Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North in Gateshead is a short drive away, and Alnwick Castle and High Force make good days out further afield. Browse more landmarks and monuments, or return to the England hub.