York Column

The York Column stands in Monument Green, Weybridge, a single Tuscan column on a pedestal with an engraved poem and eulogy. It was first built in 1694 at Seven Dials in London as part of a rebuilding scheme after the Great Fire. The original column had a dial stone with six sundials serving as public clocks. In the 18th century the area became notorious for crime, and the column was removed in 1773. The remains were later acquired by architect James Paine, who intended to rebuild it in a park. The column was re-erected in 1822 to commemorate Princess Frederica Charlotte of Prussia, Duchess of York, who had lived locally for thirty years. The people of Weybridge bought the discarded remains through a public subscription organised by the landlord of the nearby Ship Hotel. The heavy dial stone was replaced with a ducal coronet, and the base was inscribed in memory of the duchess. A replica of the original column now stands again in Seven Dials, unveiled in 1989. Visitors find a slender Tuscan shaft of five drums rising from a pedestal. The north-west side bears a poem, the south-east side a eulogy to the duchess. The capital is crowned by a ducal coronet. The dial stone from the original column is now on the west side of Weybridge Library. The column is recognised as an odd but effective townscape feature.