This rather imposing monument is surrounded by a lovely area of historical and/or interesting buildings, not least the beautiful parish church of St Mary from which the town is partly named, and which can also be seen in the background of the photo above.
It's set in the place where the town stocks originally stood. Now situated in St Mary's churchyard, the stocks can be seen in the photo below, albeit a little dark!
I must admit that I found the design rather plain and looking just like a gatepost...and that is exactly what it is, or at least a copy of one. Based on the gateposts at Kensington Palace, it was built to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897. Knowing that makes more sense and a lot more interesting.
Looking eastwards, above, the old town hall (now comprising the library and the Ottery Gazette) can be seen in the background.
As the inscription isn't very clear, it reads:
"At the close of the sixtieth year of the reign of Victoria, the townsfolk of this place set up this stone to hand onto those who came after the happy memory of a great & wise and a virtuous QUEEN 1837 - 1897"
And finally, a photo looking southwards down Silver Street, where there are several other listed buildings.
Something I always find fascinating with monuments is how they came about and why, and how they add to a town's history and character. Not a huge amount of information about this one, but a nice bit of history nonetheless.
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