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The Wellington Monument, inaugurated on 18 June 1822, is a monument to the first duke of Wellington and in his victories in the Peninsular War and the latter stages of the Napoleonic Wars . Its total height, including the sculpture, the base and the mound on which it stands, is 36 feet.

It is best known for the colossal 18 foot high statue of Achilles (TQ2880 : Wellington Monument (Achilles)) by the sculptor Richard Westmacott, which depicts the mythological Greek hero as a muscular nude young man, raising his shield with his left hand and his short sword in his right hand, with his armour standing by his right thigh and his cloak draped over his left shoulder (Link Wikipedia).

The inscription (TQ2880 : Wellington Monument Inscription) on the statue's Dartmoor granite base reads:
To Arthur Duke of Wellington
and his brave companions in arms
this statue of Achilles
cast from cannon taken in the victories
of Salamanca, Vittoria, Toulouse, and Waterloo
is inscribed
by their country women
Placed on this spot
on the XVIII day of June MDCCCXXII
by command of
His Majesty George IIII.