Statue of Queen Anne, Minehead

The statue depicts Queen Anne in full court dress.^[1] It was designed by Francis Bird, who had previously made a sculpture of the queen for St Paul's Cathedral,^[2] after a commission by Sir Jacob Bancks the local member of parliament for Minehead.^[3] Statues of the queen were a "fashionable ornament" during her reign.^[4]

It was removed from its original site in St Michael's Church during restoration work in 1880. It was to have been placed in the town hall, but following a public subscription for the canopy it was re-erected at its current site in 1893.^[5][6]

The statue is made of alabaster. The pedestal and canopy which were added by H. Dare Bryan in 1893 are of Carrara marble. Above the statue is a dentilled pediment and cornice^[1]