Verity

Verity is a stainless steel and bronze statue located at the entrance to Ilfracombe Harbour. The sculpture has been loaned to Ilfracombe for 20 years (starting from 2012) by it’s creator, Damien Hirst. When erected Verity became the tallest statue in the UK at the time, standing at 66 foot tall. The sculpture is definitely one that you should see when in Ilfracombe, in fact I doubt you could miss it if you tried!

About Verity

Verity portrays a naked pregnant woman, holding a sword aloft. She also holds a set of scales and is standing on a pile of law books. One half of the statue shows the internal anatomy of the woman, where you can clearly see the unborn fetus. Verity’s stance is taken from Edgar Degas’ Little Dancer of Fourteen Years.

Traditional symbols for justice are obvious in this statue, being the sword and scales. The name “Verity” comes from the Italian for ‘truth’. All this makes sense, as the statue is meant to be a “modern allegory of truth and justice.”

Verity

Finding Verity

The sculpture is located at the entrance to Ilfracombe harbour, where she faces towards South Wales over the Bristol channel. A 66 foot tall statue shouldn’t be too hard to find really! But here are some directions, just incase!

From the Tourist Information Centre, head up the Promenade towards Wilder Road. Once at Wilder Road turn left, follow this road round to the left as it becomes St James Place. Once you reach the end of the road turn left onto Broad Street, follow this round to the right as it becomes The Quay. At the end of this road you will find Verity.

Verity and Ilfracombe Harbour

If you’re visiting Ilfracombe, it’s worth a trip to the Harbour to see Verity. It’s a bit of an interesting statue, I’d even go as far as to say maybe a little weird! But in a cool way. You also get great views of the harbour from this spot.