The Douglas Obelisk is a monument in the form of a stone column in Corfu Town. The monument is dedicated to Sir Howard Douglas (1776 – 1861), former Lord High Commissioner of Corfu and the Ionian Islands. The Douglas Obelisk can be found on the seafront boulevard of Garitsa Bay.
Howard Douglas was appointed as a high commissioner in 1835 when the British ruled over Corfu. He held this position for five years during which is made a large contribution to the development of the city by constructing many important buildings and other public works, including roads, a school, a psychiatric hospital, a prison, and a cemetary. He also founded the Ionian Bank, and several charities, and introduced a new code of laws.
In 1843, the state decided to create a memorial to honor his services. The Douglas obelisk was initially placed on Spianada Square, opposite the Ioannis Kapodistrias Statue. In 1907, the monument was removed after it was severely damaged by a landslide. The Corfiote contractor Andreas Sgouros restored the monument and it was reinstalled at its current location during the construction of the new Garitsa shoreline between 1956 and 1963.
The Douglas Obelisk is a seven meters tall column made of marble. The bottom of each of the four sides is decorated with a bronze slab engraved by the Corfiote artist Ioannis Vaptistis Kalosgouros. The four bronze engravings respectively depict a female figure sitting on a rock, the high commissionner’s coat of arms, a diadem, and an inscription in ancient Greek commemorating the commissioner’s achievements.
