Pine Coffin Bust In Public Garden Adjoining South East Abutment Of Bideford Bridge

The Pine-Coffin bust is located in a public garden next to the southeast abutment of Bideford Bridge. It was created in 1893 by FJ Williamson from Esher, Surrey. The bust is made of white Sicilian marble and sits on a pedestal of Cornish granite, which features a white marble cornice. The pedestal has a two-tier plinth, with the upper tier made of granite and the lower tier appearing to be concrete. The bust depicts John Richard Pine-Coffin dressed in what resembles a Roman toga, with his mustachioed head turned slightly to the left.

On the front of the pedestal, there is an inscription in lead letters that reads: "JOHN RICHARD PINE-COFFIN ESQRE, J.P., D.L., A.C.C., OF PORTLEDGE, BIDEFORD, BORN 1842. DIED 1890. ERECTED BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION, AS A TRIBUTE OF ESTEEM AND AFFECTION. 1893." The bust bears the worn signature of the sculptor: "WILLIAMSON, HER, SURREY." John Richard Pine-Coffin, who died on March 16, 1890, was part of a long-established local gentry family. Upon his death at the age of 48, the North Devon Journal noted that he was "an active politician and an energetic public servant," and reported that nearly every shop in Bideford had either shutters up or blinds drawn during his funeral. He served as Deputy Lieutenant of the County, Justice of the Peace, County Alderman, and Vice-Chairman of the Bideford Board of Guardians, and was also President of the Bideford Conservative Association for several years.