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KING ALFRED SCRUBS UP WELL

Visitors to Winchester will notice that the King Alfred the Great statue is looking very spick and span after a major makeover.

Specialist contractor, Bronze Restorations, have been busy cleaning the statue in the Broadway and applied a layer of wax to prevent the bronze turning green. A deep clean of the stone plinth has left a very polished King Alfred who was the only British monarch to receive the title Great.

The magnificent bronze, by Hamo Thornycroft, was commissioned by Alderman Bowker and the City Corporation to mark the millennium of Alfred’s death.

Dating from 1901, it is 15 feet (4.57 m) high and weighs 5 tons. The base, in two parts, is of Cornish granite, and the whole statue stands 40 ft high.

The granite pedestal bears just one word – ALFRED.

To learn more about him, take a look at the free City Walk leaflet tracing the Saxon history of Winchester. You can also follow King Alf on Twitter and Facebook for information on days out, heritage facts and upcoming events across the district.

@Visit Winchester – King Alf