Roaming with RAMM Challenge 2 – Answer
And the answer to this week’s challenge is…..the Wyvern Weathervane on the Iron Bridge.
This weathervane is actually a replica of the 200 year old original which is held in RAMM’s collections. The weathervane was first located on top of the city’s North Gate until this was demolished in 1769, when it was moved to the Quay. It 1897 the Wyvern was brought back to North Gate as part of the celebrations of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee with a stone plaque at the base of the pole. The replica Wyvern was reproduced in copper by Neil Bollen.
The original weathervane (pictured right) was used as target practice during the Civil War in Exeter. The dents are said to have been made by musket balls. Cleaning has revealed that it was painted at some time, first in yellow, probably when it was re-erected for Victoria’s Jubilee, and then in a brass effect when it was last restored by the Civic Society in 1976. Neither the careful cleaning, nor an x-ray courtesy of Exeter International Airport, has revealed any earlier decoration, apart from some hint of gilding around its tongue.