Christian monument repaired in time for Easter

Martyrs' Memorial commemorates three protestants who were burned at the stake in the 1550s

A historic monument has been repaired after a section of the ornamental stonework fell off.

Martyrs' Memorial in central Oxford was built in 1843 to commemorate three important protestants who were burnt at the stake in the 1550s.

Stonemasonry specialist Dave Miles & Sons was dispatched to restore the monument, assessing the damage with a cherry picker.

Their work has now been finished, and the cordons removed, in time for the Easter weekend.

"It's a beautiful monument, but what it represents are two very divisive moments," said Anna Eavis, CEO of Oxford Preservation Trust.

One of those was the switch from Protestantism to Catholicism with the coronation of Mary I.

That led to the public executions of Bishops Nicholas Ridley and Hugh Latimer in 1555, followed by that of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer in 1556.

About 300 years later, a branch of the Anglican Church was growing worried about a movement to reintroduce Catholic traditions and doctrines.

Its members raised money to build the Martyrs' Memorial, hoping to remind people of the sacrifices made for their denomination.

The spot where the protestants were executed is marked by a simple cross on Oxford's Broad Street

The monument fell into disrepair during the 1900s and was hidden from view, but was restored by Oxford Preservation Trust in 2003.

"The stone needed repairing and it needed to be made structurally sound, but we were able to take away the hoardings and return it to public use," said Mrs Eavis.

"Today we're standing here and there are people sitting on the steps that lead up to it - and I think that's a great thing.

"Because although Oxford is a wonderful, beautiful place, there aren't actually that many places for the general public to sit and just watch the world go by."