PART of Winchester’s historic Buttercross monument has broken.
It is not yet known how the damage occurred to the monument in the High Street but police were seen removing larger parts of the broken fragments at 9am on Tuesday.
The Buttercross dates back to the 15th century and was restored in 1865. It serves as a valued part of the city’s heritage and sparked a small riot in 1770 when it was sold and the new owner tried to remove it, leading to protests by Winchester citizens.
It is often visited as part of city tours and commonly used as a meeting place or a rest stop in the High Street.
Ariound ten years ago drunken students from Southampton climbed on the structure and caused damage estimated at £10,000.
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