Martyr's Memorial, Rayleigh, Essex, England

Uploaded for the Vintage Photos Theme Park theme of: STATUES AND MONUMENTS
This English RPPC was taken in what I always considered my hometown - Rayleigh, Essex. At some point along the way I realized that I only lived there for six years, 1958 - 1964. I was absolutely incredulous - as were my family and other clueless fellow emigration travelers. It seemed as though we lived there a lifetime. We had to keep counting years to believe it was true.
Anyway, in those days of daily shopping, we passed "the monument" on High Street several times a week. It definitely held a weird fascination for me, imagining the horrifying burning of people.
Two of them were burned on this spot and two were burned in London.
The monument was erected in the early 20th century by local Protestants to honor the "Protestant Martys" burned by (I suppose) Catholics during Queen Mary's reign in the mid-1500s.
Thousands of people attended the unveiling of the monument. Luckily, Rayleigh High Street is extraordinarily wide and could accommodate them all. [See below].