Brisbane Pillar
by Rob MarshallSir Thomas Brisbane lived for a while in Ventnor in the
mid ninetieth century. A keen astronomer, he applied
to the authorities for permission to place a pillar on the
Ventnor esplanade. It was to have a dual function, the
first to establish by astronomical observation, the exact
global position of a site in Ventnor. The second aim
was to denote, in conjunction with stone markings, an
accurate indication of the exact time at noon each
sunny day. Permission was given in 1851 and the pillar
with its capping metal gnomon is there till this day.
Modern technology has rendered this monument
obsolete but in the days before radio time checks
existed it would have
been of great value to
the town. Using only
the chronometers
available to him, his
latitude and longitude
position is
remarkably close to
the Global Position
figures available
today.
Sir Thomas had an interesting career. A Scottish landowner, he had enlisted in the British army and served under the Duke of Wellington in the Spanish Peninsular War with the rank of Brigade Commander. In 1821 he went to Australia as Governor of New South Wales. When the neighbouring state of Queensland was established, the capital, Brisbane was named after him. He is remembered in Australia as a gifted astronomer and the Sir Thomas Brisbane Planetarium which he founded still bears his name