Devizes statue stands tall at her new home (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Devizes statue stands tall at her new home

7:00am Saturday 5th December 2009

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The much-abused statue of Queen Victoria, which used to stand by The Green in Devizes, has been restored and relocated to a much safer place.

Michael Ancram MP unveiled the statue at its new home in the grounds of St Mary’s Almshouses in Victoria Road on Saturday.

The restoration was commissioned by the Trust for Devizes after the head of the statue was torn off and defaced for the third time.

Ted East, the trust’s honorary secretary, said: “The statue had been outside the Kwik-Fit premises at The Green.

“Sadly, the head had been vandalised and did not reflect well on the town so the Trust for Devizes took an interest.

“The local manager of Kwik-Fit and the current owners of the adjacent Victoria Cottage, where the statue had been originally installed, were very helpful and enabled the Trust to take guardianship of the statue so it could be repaired.”

The restoration was carried out by local stonemason Geoffrey Stephenson, who carved a completely new head, which more resembles the portrait of Queen Victoria on stamps and coins of the time.

In unveiling the statue, Mr Ancram congratulated the Trust, Wiltshire Heritage Museum and Gaiger Brothers for all their work in returning part of Devizes’ history to its people.

The statue, thought to date from the 1870s, has had its head wrenched off no fewer than three times in the last 13 years.

In 1996 the head went missing and was found in Brickley Lane, evidently having been used as a football, as the nose and part of the chin were missing. Kwik Fit paid to have the statue repaired.

Two years later the head went missing again. It was recovered but more damage had been caused. The final disgrace took place last year after which the Trust stepped in.

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