The Marlow Obelisk on the High Street roundabout has been cleaned and repaired, and its worn 1822 lettering has been reinstated. The work finished in early November.

The Marlow Obelisk has been restored, and the distances carved on it can be read clearly again.

Specialist conservators worked on the Grade II listed milestone through October. The final touches were finished in early November, Buckinghamshire Council said in a Highways blog post on 10 November.

The obelisk has stood in the middle of Marlow since 1822. It sits on the roundabout on the A4155 at the top of the High Street. Its faces give the distances to places including Maidenhead, Reading, Oxford and London.

Why it needed work

Weather and age had taken their toll on the stone, the council said. The decorative panels were deteriorating. Parts of the original surface coating were breaking down, and the lettering was getting harder to read.

Conservation experts surveyed the monument before any work began, to judge how far the damage went and which repairs and materials to use.

Three photographs of the Marlow Obelisk before restoration: worn lettering reading Henley 7 and a half, Reading 15, Oxford by Henley 30, Abingdon 28; a face with a large pale patch where the surface has broken away; and a faded panel reading Erected by the Trustees of the Reading and Hatfield Road
The obelisk before the work, with the surface breaking away on one face. Photo: Buckinghamshire Council

What was done

The council’s list of the work:

  • the obelisk was washed by hand and poulticed to lift surface dirt and sulphation
  • the lower sections were treated with a specialist biocide
  • worn lime render and the old protective coating were removed
  • the panel faces were repaired with materials matched to the original
  • a new protective coat was applied
  • the original historic lettering was reinstated

The job was done with Cliveden Conservation, a heritage conservation firm based in Taplow. It kept to the planned programme, the council said. Colder weather slowed the last stage, because the specialist materials took longer to cure before the lettering could be finished.

The council has not said what the work cost.

Two close-up photographs of the restored Marlow Obelisk base, with crisp lettering reading Wycombe 5, Aylesbury 22, Oxford by Stokenchurch 26, Hatfield 36, and a panel reading Erected by the Trustees of the Reading and Hatfield Road, September 1822
The restored base. One panel records that it was put up by the trustees of the Reading and Hatfield Road in September 1822. Photo: Buckinghamshire Council

What it means for you

The work is finished, so there is nothing more to come on the roundabout.

For anyone walking up the High Street, the mileages are legible again. The council’s own photographs of the restored base show the Wycombe face reading “Wycombe 5”. The panel underneath says the obelisk was put up by the trustees of the Reading and Hatfield Road.

Any damage to the monument, or to the road around it, can be reported through the council’s road problems page.

Sources

Buckinghamshire Council, Preserving a piece of Marlow’s history, Highways Highlight blog, 10 November 2026, read 12 November, including its before, during and after photographs.