Shared ownership of front pillar

Any advice gratefully accepted.
We live in a normal 3bed semi with a shared wall running down the side to the front between ourselves and the house we're not attached to. To make a long story short the pillar at the end of this shared wall is uncapped (never capped previously) and as we're having work done on our driveway we'd like to cap it and the one matching on the otherside stuck to our front wall.
Unfortunately we share this pillar with one of those weird neighbours who have no taste and who have an objection to absolutely everything!
Despite the fact that the brickwork on top of the pillar is starting to crumble from weather effects they still do not want us to cap the pillar. I've even offered to pay for it and to pay for one for the pillar on their own wall to match in and get our builder to put it on.
Needless to say to no avail. As this is a shared pillar and as I feel that the capping would help preserve it can I unilaterally place a pillar cap on it without their agreement?
By the way I'm not planning swooping eagles or lions rampant - just a plain old sloping capping stone.

Stenson said:

Needless to say to no avail. As this is a shared pillar and as I feel that the capping would help preserve it can I unilaterally place a pillar cap on it without their agreement?

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Not unless you want an annoyed neighbour chipping it off and posting it piece by piece through your letterbox, I fear! I really sympathise, particularly since your approach (matching their other pillar at your own expense) seems eminently reasonable to me, but unilaterally doing something to someone else's property will only aggravate the situation and I think you'll find yourself in the wrong.

Thanks Dreamerb
You're probably right, I'm just really annoyed that they get to decide how my house looks. Like family you can't pick your neighbours...unfortunately.

This might sound silly, could you cut the cap in half and put the cap on your half of the pillar! At least from your side your wall and pier caps match.

Hi NHG
I've actually thought about it !! However I don't think it would look well and I'd end up looking more petty than are. If I could legally cap it then I would. It wouldn't bother me if they were put out by it.
Thanks f

Of course, if there is space and if it would look OK, you could build a seperate pillar on your property to suit your other pillar.

Thanks DM but I think that would be going a little too far just to prove a point. Plus having just widened my driveway it would only serve to reduce the space again but thanks for the suggestion.

A girl in work told me the story of her brother who was having the same problem with his neighbour over a pillar. The neighbour was insisting on putting one of those round cappings(that the kids draw faces onto) and he was saying no, he hated them.

Anyway, the row went on and on, so in a fit of temper, he actually sawed the piller in half. He laughs about it now, but said the look on the neighbours face was priceless.

Why are you people putting wicked ideas in my head...?!!! Thanks Manda.

MandaC said:

A girl in work told me the story of her brother who was having the same problem with his neighbour over a pillar. The neighbour was insisting on putting one of those round cappings(that the kids draw faces onto) and he was saying no, he hated them.

Anyway, the row went on and on, so in a fit of temper, he actually sawed the piller in half. He laughs about it now, but said the look on the neighbours face was priceless.

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Charming area, eh!