Stuck upon a hill overlooking Conwy and Llandudno Junction is a towering structure that appears to be some fragment of the history of North Wales. This tower, which is seen by thousands drivers every single day, can be easily spotted from the A55, and the A470 driving into Llandudno.

This structure is the Bryn Pydew Obelisk, built on the grounds of the Bodysgallen Hall Hotel at Ffrith Hill, and it is not some ancient Welsh monument but a much more recent build. Built in 1992, the structure is a modern folly built not to commemorate any event, but to match up with similar monuments, such as Cleopatra's Needle in London.

But the original construction in the 90s was a fraught issue, with many claiming it should never have been built in the first place, leaving it with a controversial history many are no longer aware of.

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Issues with the obelisk date back to its original construction, where there was a real risk it might not survive its first year, as the site at which it was placed, soaring above a 100ft quarry face, was in fact a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest. Typically these sites, designated by the government and scientific community, are restricted areas where it is unlikely planning permission would be accepted.

Yet in the 90s, it was.

The Countryside Council for Wales, who had to consulted for planning permission, initially approved the structure and it wasn't until later, after it had been built, that they realised their error. After construction was completed, and trouble began to rise around the obelisk, the council admitted that the location had not been properly recognised and that they had made a mistake.

This action only came after a significant amount of frustration from the local community, those against the build at the time formed the Ffrith Obelisk Action Group, dedicated to seeing the obelisk removed. Around 700 people signed their petition calling for action to be taken, at the time Pauline Lancashire, secretary of the group told the Independent:

"'A commercial enterprise has been allowed to build a totally inappropriate structure on a valuable wildlife site. It must now be demolished."

Planning permission was given by Aberconwy council for the landmark as part of several applications for the estate. But many in Pydew said there were no objections to the build as no one was fully aware of where it was going to be built.

Mr Broyd, the owner of land at the time, insisted that it had all been built within the law and that should it be demolished he would be eligible for compensation. Mr Broyd said at the time: "It is a splendid thing and the construction is part of the tradition of building ornaments on the landscape in country houses. We applied for planning permission correctly, we built correctly, and we confirmed all we were doing with council planning officers."

But despite demands for the obelisk's destruction, it never came to pass and today it still stands overlooking the local hills and is accepted by the local community, though no doubt some are still unhappy with its existence. A footpath can be followed up to the folly, offering superb views of the nearby area and is a popular and well recommend walking route.

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