Shepton's Mallet
Introduction
The photograph on this page of Shepton's Mallet by Neil Owen as part of the Geograph project.
The Geograph project started in 2005 with the aim of publishing, organising and preserving representative images for every square kilometre of Great Britain, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
There are currently over 7.5m images from over 14,400 individuals and you can help contribute to the project by visiting https://www.geograph.org.uk
Shepton's Mallet
Image: © Neil Owen Taken: 30 Jul 2012
A curious sculpture near the Townsend/Station Road roundabout bears a number of images and an inscription which initially reads thus: 'Shepton's Mallet This artwork by Peter Osborne is a 3.8 metre tall metal and mortar obelisk in the shape of a stylised mallet. The work's chosen form draws on the town's name derived from one William Malet, a companion of William the Conqueror, who, for the services he rendered, was gifted with various lands including those around Shepton Mallet. It was during those times that the use of surnames was fully implemented within these isles of Britain by the Norman invaders in order to categorise all of its inhabitants. The Malet name is of French origin and its meaning comes from two sources: from the ancient Norse, it found its way south into the French family surname system, meaning 'Maul' or 'Mallet' as in the God of Thunder, the metalsmith 'Thor; it is also said at the time in France the name meant 'maligned one' or 'outcast'. See Image] for another view of this work.
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Image Location
Latitude
51.187998
Longitude
-2.548403