Friday 19 April 2013

Charing Cross


The Toad is a monument erected at Charing Cross in 2004, as part of the commemoration of the octocentenary of Jersey's status of Crown Dependency, and in memory of the presence on the site between 1698 and 1812 of the island's prison. The monument, created by Gordon Young, consists of a 9-foot tall column of polished Jersey granite into which is carved extracts from the Code Le Geyt of 1698 concerning crimes and applicable punishments. On top of the column is a Jersey crapaud - the site was originally marsh land, and the numerous toad colonies in the area are the source of the nickname commonly applied to Jersey people.

In front of The Toad is the motorbike belonging to Vladimir Yarets, a native of Minsk (Belarus). He is aiming at a Guinness Book world record to be the first deaf person to do a round the world trip on a motorbike. In 2007 he was in Auckland, New Zealand. His round-the-world trip was started on the 27th of May 2000. Latest information on Yaret's website.

For Scenic Weekends.

5 comments:

Taken For Granted said...

Interesting monument and motorcycle tourist. That fellow must love to ride his bike. Looks like it has covered at least half the earth.

joanne said...

unique and entertaining post....thanx for sharing

Gemma Wiseman said...

Intriguing story behind the monument! And what a great, inspiring bike journey!

Molly said...

What a great piece of local history

Mollyxxx

Judy said...

Interesting statue!!