Two Carved Figures And A Direction Stone Against North West Corner Of Petherton Bridge At Ngr St 4500 1670

Two carved figures and a direction stone are located against the north-west corner of Petherton Bridge. The figures, which are possibly from the 15th and 18th centuries, are made of carved Ham stone and depict a boy and a girl, each about one metre high. They are set in a special housing at the side of the bridge and are said to memorialize two children who drowned from a former decayed wooden bridge. This wooden bridge was replaced by a three-arch stone bridge, which was demolished in the early 1970s. It is believed that this site was a Roman crossing point of the Fosse Way. The direction stone, now positioned immediately to the west, is likely relocated from the junction of the Fosse Way and the old road to Yeovil. It measures approximately 450mm by 150mm and stands 600mm high, tapering with a rounded top. The north face of the stone is inscribed with the words 'THE RIG/(H)T HAND/ R0A(D)/ LEAD(S)/ TO YEO/(VIL)'.