The "End of the World" Column is a monument of late 18th-century park architecture. In 1784, a marble column was installed along the axis of the Triple Linden Alley at its exit onto the square, according to Cameron's design, and the entire area began to be called the Column Square. A few years later, cast-iron gates appeared here, completing the square's design. An image of this place can be seen in the painting on an antique fan from the museum's collection.

Documents from the Pavlovsk Museum-Reserve archive, dated before 1799, describe the column as "standing opposite Her Highness's house" or "opposite the Main House." These documents concern earthworks or planting near the column or directly at its foundation, as the layout of the Parade Field continued after the column's installation.

The column was originally placed on a stone stepped elevation, with the number of steps varying from 4 to 10 according to different sources. When it was moved to New Sylvia, a small hill was built up. This is confirmed by archival materials, which contain many documents related to the first and second installations of the column, mainly invoices for the work performed.

However, this layout did not last long. Around 1799/1800, architect Brenna created the layout for a new park area — New Sylvia — on the right bank of the Slavyanka River. After the death of Paul I, the column was moved from the Parade Field to the most remote part of the park — New Sylvia. This fact is recorded in printed sources. Some authors believe the column got its name because it served as a kind of boundary marker in New Sylvia. Others think that New Sylvia was called the "end of the world," hence the column's name. Gromova associates the column's relocation with the replanning of New Sylvia and dates it to 1799–1801. The column is well preserved and still stands in its historic location in New Sylvia.

The "End of the World" column was first mentioned in a literary source in Semevsky's 1877 book "Pavlovsk." The text states: an obelisk — a column of reddish marble — rises in New Sylvia, erected by an unknown hand. The original location of the "lonely marble Ionic order column" is described in many documents. It was situated at the end of the linden alley on the so-called Parade Place, where Paul, as heir to the throne, received parades.

Proof of Cameron's authorship is also provided by a drawing of the Ionic order column kept in the Pavlovsk archive, labeled as a reproduction of Cameron's design. Additionally, the archive holds a drawing referenced by Gromova, with an inscription on its reverse side:

…parts of the forest near Mr. Cameron's column.

For a long time, the question remained open about the boards that may have been placed on the four sides of the column's pedestal. The possibility of their existence was discussed due to clearly visible metal fasteners located on all four sides of the pedestal. Furthermore, in Kurbatov's book about Pavlovsk, we read:

…this column currently has no significance. But it could be a wonderful monument to the park's creators, Cameron and Gonzago, if only marble boards with appropriate inscriptions were attached to its pedestal.

The next mention is found in Gromova's "Scientific Description":

Inside each field of the pedestal, there are four broken pins, arranged unevenly in each field. This suggests that some boards or… inserts of another marble were fixed on these fields.

In 2015, a document was discovered in the museum-reserve archive: an archival list titled "Inventories of gazebos, monuments, greenhouses, etc., under the supervision of Garden Master Pustynsky. 1840." It contains the following entry:

In the same Sylvia, on a turf mound, there is a stepped turf elevation of ten steps. On it stands a quadrangular pedestal of gray marble, with boards of red marble inserted in its middle; on the pedestal stands a round column of red marble with base and capital.

Thus, it can be confidently stated that in New Sylvia the column stood on an earthen stepped elevation, and that its pedestal had now-lost boards, apparently made from the same marble as the column shaft.

During the research, a colored image of the "End of the World" column was found on the famous fan with views of Pavlovsk from the Gatchina Museum collection (currently held at the Pavlovsk State Museum-Reserve). Despite the small size of the image, the capital is clearly visible in yellow, suggesting it may have been painted to resemble gilding.

Laboratory studies conducted in 2015 somewhat confirm this assumption; samples contained fragments of green and yellow paint. Art historians describe the column as made of pinkish or reddish marble. The column shaft is made of pink marble and consists of two parts. The Ionic order capital is made of light gray marble and ends with a smooth abacus. Later researchers identify the marble of the column shaft as Olonets marble.

On all four faces of the pedestal, metal pins arranged in a diamond shape are visible. The column shaft is smooth, composed of two vertical parts, made of pink Tivdi marble. This marble contains iron hydroxide, which explains the ochre tint observed in the column's coloring. The column base is made of white marble, but it is currently so dirty that it appears black. The column capital is also black, possibly made of white marble.

Answers have been found to questions about whether plaques were placed on the pedestal sides and whether turf steps existed on the site of the earthen mound. These questions have intrigued researchers since pre-revolutionary times. The archival document confirms that "boards of red marble" were previously installed on the pedestal, and that there were 10 turf steps at the column's installation site in New Sylvia. Before this research, these facts were not confirmed by archival sources.

In 2016, major restoration work was carried out to reinforce the mound and the column itself: the marble of the column was cleaned, lost rectangular inserts of red marble in the column pedestal were restored, and a sphere was installed atop the column. The riverside landscape was expanded, allowing a good view of the column from the Pil-Bashnya pavilion.

Sources:

https://pavlovskmuseum.ru/about/park/layout/44/1161/

https://www.spb-guide.ru/kolonna-konetz-sveta-pavlovsk.htm

https://peterburg.center/story/interesnye-mesta-novaya-silviya-i-kolonna-konec-sveta-v-pavlovskom-parke.html