ANOTHER monument to one of Hampshire’s greatest naval heroes has been restored.
Major repairs have been made to a cast iron lamp stand preserved in memory of Sir Harry Burrard Neale, who lived on the outskirts of Lymington.
Once thought to be beyond repair, the memorial next to the Royal Lymington Yacht Club has been refurbished at a cost of £5,000.
It follows the restoration of an Egyptian-style style obelisk a few hundred yards from Sir Harry’s former home, now Walhampton School.
The 76ft obelisk has been repaired by the Lymington Society and the town council at a cost of £70,000.
Sir Harry was a naval officer who either captured or destroyed 20 enemy vessels in his career, during which he rose to become commander-in-chief of the Mediterranean Fleet. He was also Lymington’s MP for many years.
Built in 1832 the lamp stand has been restored in a scheme funded by New Forest District Council.
A council spokesman said: “In December 2016 the metal lamps and the whole top section of the column sheared off in a storm.
“Earlier this year the council’s open spaces development officer, Simon Hanney, found a specialist contractor who was able to fix the damage and source replacement parts, which had to be handmade.
“The monument is Grade II-listed because of its historic interest. As owner of the land on which it stands it was important to us to persist in our search to see how we could get this reassembled in a more robust manner.
“We’re really pleased with the results and hope people enjoy seeing it whole once again.”
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