Taunton Dragon (1)

Image: © Marika Reinholds Taken: 23 Feb 2023

The Taunton Dragon, a 4-metre-high public art sculpture was unveiled on 11 February 2023 in Somerset's county town, Taunton. It was created by local chainsaw artist Matthew Crabb The Dragon was commissioned by Somerset West and Taunton Council and it replaces two trees that were originally planted in the pedestrianised High Street in the 1970’s. Sadly the trees had to be removed as they had outgrown their brick planters (3 new trees have been planted elsewhere in the area). The artwork is inspired by the Somerset Dragon which is embedded in Taunton's history. Taunton began as a Saxon village where a dragon is believed to have been the royal emblem of the Anglo-Saxon Kings of Wessex. Somerset’s flag, Coat of Arms, County Cricket team and the new Somerset Council (which comes into existence on 1 April 2023) are all represented by a dragon. This is disputed though on social media sites, with some adamant that Somerset's emblem is a wyvern (a draconian creature with 2 wings, 2 front legs and a barbed tail).

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