History Column

Following on from recent blips, this is the History Column in the little village of Cocking, south of Midhurst in West Sussex. It's a unique bronze scuplture commemorating important events in Cocking's history, in 48 bronze panels on bronze column about 300 cms high. This sits on a Portland stone plinth making it quite imposing.

Link 1: the column was created by villagers as part of the millennium project under the direction of - Philip Jackson, the sculptor whose work I love. Philip taught 28 volunteers from the village the art of working in wax for low relief modelling and letter carving. Then they created the panels at home. The panels wind down from the Bronze Age at the top to the Millennium at the bottom. A ribbon winding between them gives the context of national events to the local scenes.

Link 2: The panel I've chosen features Viscount Cowdray, owner of the colour coded cottages in recent blips, garish yellow and dark green. In 1926, during the General Strike in the UK, he generously allowed villagers to gather branches for firewood from his woodlands. I can't help hoping he did more than that to alleviate the suffering of folk too poor to help themselves.

The column was unveiled in 2005 by Lady Cowdray, who was also one of the modellers.

The History Column is not obvious as you pass through Cocking, even though it's just off the main road. Anyone interested - it's behind Lambert's Yard and car park, on the edge of the corn field, at the south end of the village.