Fair Lady Statue

Most people will know the nursery rhyme about the fine lady riding a “cock-horse to Banbury cross”, but how many have actually seen the statue and the cross itself, or even know it was a real place?

Sadly, all of the crosses (there were 3) were destroyed by the Puritans in the Middle Ages, and the current “cross” (now the centre of a very busy roundabout) was erected in 1859 to celebrate the marriage of Princess Victoria, eldest daughter of Queen Victoria.  The statue nearby is very fine though, and look out for the tiny frog, which apparently represents metamorphosis, but which was very appropriate given the heavy rain at the time of the photo.