Cleopatra's Needle outside the Houses of Parliament, London, c late 19th century. Creator: Unknown. # 1157341

Cleopatra's Needle outside the Houses of Parliament, London, c late 19th century. Creator: Unknown.

1-157-341 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage Images

Artist's impression of Cleopatra's Needle sited outside the Houses of Parliament, London, c late 19th century. Cleopatra's Needle is an Ancient Egyptian obelisk dating from c1500 BC, transported from Egypt to London in 1878 at the expense of Sir William James Erasmus Wilson, and erected on the Thames Embankment. It is one of a pair, the other of which was taken to New York and erected in Central Park in 1881.