William III statue returned to Petersfield town square

The human element of the sculpture has been reunited with the horse

A statue of William III riding a horse has been reinstalled in a town centre after being restored.

The lead sculpture in Petersfield, Hampshire, had been missing an arm before the rider was removed from the horse for repairs in July.

The king has now been reunited with the horse, which stands on a plinth in The Square.

The scaffolding is due to be removed on Friday when a ribbon-cutting ceremony is also due to take place.

The statue depicts the king, also known as William of Orange, and William II in Scotland, as a Roman Senator.

The statue had previously lost its right arm

It was commissioned by former Petersfield MP Sir William Jolliffe in 1750 and erected after his death in 1757 at Petersfield House.

It was moved to The Square in the 1790s.

In August 2021, when the right arm was reported to have been damaged, further investigations discovered it had been previously mended with wood screws and internal metal splints.

The latest repairs have been carried out by National Trust-approved specialists, Rupert Harris Conservation.

As well as reattaching the arm, the restoration involved fixing a large crack on the figure's right ankle.

Hampshire County Council leader Rob Humby said: "Although structurally sound, naturally with centuries-old structures like this, there is inevitably some damage over time due to environmental conditions such as the weather and, in more modern times, traffic emissions.

"Taking care of Hampshire's historical monuments, wherever we can within our available resources, is important if we are to preserve our sense of place for generations to come."

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