William III
A rare monumental memorial in England, the well known statue in
The Square, described as “Magnificent and Heroic deserving
the admiration of the townspeople”, was cast in lead in 1753
by John Cheere. It was originally erected in New Way (St Peter’s
Road) by a bequest of £500 from whig MP, Sir William Jolliffe
in 1757.
Placed in its present position in the Market Square in 1812, the
statue nevertheless remained in the ownership of the Jolliffes.
It is modelled on the grand bronze statue of Marcus Aurelius (c200
AD) now placed in the Piazza del Campidoglio on the Capitoline hill
in Rome.
In 1812 the statue of William III was moved to The Square and purchased
in 1911 by the then Petersfield Urban District Council at auction
together with the market, and the market rights on The Square, for
£125! By then it was in a poor state with the King leaning
forward in a perilous position. It was restored, the money being
raised by public subscription led by the architect Harry Inigo Triggs,
and the restored statue unveiled with much ceremony on 3rd September
1913.
It became the property of the Hampshire County Council in the early
sixties and by 1962 the statue was again in need of renovation.
The wrought iron armature had corroded and then was removed to Chessington
to have a bronze armature installed, as well as having repairs carried
out to the stone plinth.
The statue was registered as an ancient monument on 3rd March 1952
and listed as a building of architectural and historical interest
on 30th November 2001. Comprehensive details are available from
Petersfield Museum.
War Memorial (1922)
Planned originally in 1919 to be in the Market Square, but ultimately
erected in its present position at the eastern end of The High Street,
the cenotaph owes its design to Harry Inigo Triggs who was inspired
by the eight blank panels in the new sacristy of the Medici chapel
(Florence) by Michaelangelo. These eight blank panels provide detail
for the four sides on which are inscribed the names of the men of
Petersfield who gave their lives in the service of their country
whose bodies lie elsewhere.
The classical ‘roof’ design was to be repeated in Sir
Giles Gilbert Scott’s roof detail of the 1935 (Jubilee) design
for the famous red telephone boxes. The roof is surmounted by the
flames from the torch of remembrance.
The Heath
 Just
a short walk from the busy Town Centre is the beautiful Heath. Owned
by the Town Council, it is the site of the annual Taro Fair which
is held by tradition on the 6th October, unless it is a Sunday.
Originally it was a horse fair.
The 22 acre Heath Pond, which is surrounded by 69 acres of heath
and woodland, is the result of drainage during the early 1700’s.
The Pond provides a home for several species of wildfowl as well
as being used for boating and fishing.
There are 21 barrows on the Heath forming the most important concentration
of burial mounds in the South. Some have called it a bronze/iron
age Westminster Abbey. Historically the barrows are placed in the
Bronze Age and full information can be obtained from Petersfield
Museum.
Friends of the Heath
The Friends of the Heath are a conservation group who work in conjunction
with the Town Council to be consulted on future care of this lovely
open space. They also carry out some of the maintenance and improvements
to the property.
Rotherlands Conservation Group
To the east of the town lies an interesting area of natural habitat,
owned by the Town Council. This serves as a centre of operations
for Rotherlands Conservation Group who are enthusiastic guardians
of this project. They have produced an excellent pamphlet on this
fascinating part of the town.
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