NEPTUNE

Known locally as the "Warmley giant", this representation of the King of the sea was once surrounded by the lake which formed when William Champion dammed Siston Brook.

It was quite common in the 18th century for landowners to have statues placed in their private gardens; what is unusual about this one is not only its size - around 30 feet high - but also its composition. It is made almost entirely of cement and decorated with black clinker from Champion's works.

Over the years Neptune became hidden by ivy, and some people did not even know what lay behind the high tower of greenery. Attempts have been made in the 1970's and 1980's to uncover the statue - with varying success. It is now possible to see the figure but, sadly, both the arms are gone, as is the trident and any crown he may have worn. Descriptions vary as to the position of the arms. Canon Ellacombe in his "History of Kingswood" (1891) said that "one arm extended held the usual barbed fork". However, a local inhabitant who remembers playing in the garden as a child has told the Musuem Trust that his left arm lay across his body to hold the top of the trident whilst the other hung down to hold the bottom. This would seem to be substantiated by the fact that metal supports can be seen across the chest which most likely helped to hold the arm in place.

The lost trident is said to have hung in the stable of Warmley House for many years but vanished some time ago. If someone knows where it is they are not saying.