Tyndale Monument, North Nibley

The Tyndale Monument stands on Nibley Knoll, on the edge of the escarpment above North Nibley, about 3km north of Wotton-under-Edge. S. S. Teulon built it in 1866 in memory of William Tyndale, who first had the New Testament printed in English and was born near here. It is listed Grade II*, a landmark for miles along the Edge.

History

William Tyndale

William Tyndale was born, the monument's tablet says, near this spot. He translated the New Testament into English, and his edition of 1526 was the first to be printed in the language. He was martyred at Vilvoorde in Flanders on 6 October 1536.

The tower

A memorial to Tyndale was proposed about 1860, and its site was argued over. Lord Fitzhardinge offered Nibley Knoll, while others wanted Stinchcombe Hill, which the committee chose at first; in January 1862, the Stinchcombe local history society records, it settled on the knoll, the Stinchcombe scheme being too costly. The foundation stone was laid in May 1863, by Colonel Berkeley in the Tyndale Monument Charity's account, and the tower was paid for by public subscription. It cost £1,550, and the society says the fund was still £300 short on the day it opened. The architect was Samuel Sanders Teulon, who had designed Tortworth Court for the Earl of Ducie, and the earl, then Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire, opened the monument on 6 November 1866. The tower is 34m high by the Tyndale Monument Charity's measure; the listing gives about 36m.

Repairs and the trail

The tower is looked after by the Tyndale Monument Charity, which relies on donations for its upkeep. For the 500th anniversary of Tyndale's New Testament, Anne Hayward of the Tyndale Society worked out the Tyndale Trail, about 28 miles of existing paths, much of it on the Cotswold Way, between the Tyndale sculpture in Millennium Square in Bristol and the monument. It was ready to walk from 31 January 2026 and can be walked either way. The charity also lights the tower at night for occasions booked through its website, from birthdays and weddings to memorials, and lists them in an illumination diary.

What to look for

• The tower: limestone ashlar with marlstone enrichment, tapering to machicolated eaves and a stone pyramid topped by a cross, inside a square of spear-topped railings.
• The tablet over the door, which records that it was erected in grateful remembrance of Tyndale, translator of the English Bible, who was born near this spot and martyred at Vilvorde in 1536.
• The stair: a narrow spiral of 121 steps, dark in its lower part.
• The view from the top: west over the Severn Vale and the river to Wales, and along the Edge both ways.
• The knoll itself, open grass on the scarp edge with views even if you do not climb.

Visiting

The Tyndale Monument is free and generally open to climb; the National Trail says that if it is locked, a key can be had from a cottage in North Nibley, with details on the notice board at the tower. The stair is narrow and steep, dark in places, so take a torch and go carefully, and it is not suitable for anyone unsteady on their feet. The monument is reached only on foot, and the paths up from the village are steep and muddy after rain. Come on a clear day for the view into Wales.

Getting there

There is no car park at the tower. The easiest way is along the ridge from Old London Road above Wotton, where OpenStreetMap maps free roadside parking. From North Nibley (GL11 6DR) the path climbs steeply up the knoll.

Wotton Hill and the Tyndale Monument turns at the monument, an easy ridge loop of 5.8km; Wotton, the Tyndale Monument and Coombe Hill climbs to it first on a longer day. The Cotswold Way passes it between Dursley and Wotton.

Nearby

Brackenbury Ditches, earthworks scheduled as Brackenbury camp, is about 1km south in Westridge Wood, and Jubilee Clump beyond it on Wotton Hill. Down in Wotton-under-Edge are St Mary's Church and the Hugh Perry Almshouses, and the Royal Oak on Haw Street serves food.