Not far from where the Peasants Revolt started…

This series of wooden sculptures in Wat Tyler Country Park at Pitsea in Essex was created by Robert Koenig to commemorate the Peasants Revolt which took place in 1381. For more information about the sculptor, see here: http://www.robertkoenig-sculptor.com/ To read a heartfelt history of the uprising, see this post which appeared further back on this blog: https://thisisthebroadcast.wordpress.com/2013/05/30/the-peasants-revolt/

I’ve visited Wat Tyler Country Park on a fair few occasions but this time I specifically wanted to see and photograph these statues close up. When you see a sculpture like this, it’s a stark reminder that throughout history, ordinary people have sporadically risen up to oppose oppression and try to bring about a more just and equitable society…and we’re still trying to do that now, albeit with no success… When I was standing by these statues that depict the defeat of the Peasants Revolt, I have to admit I felt a bit of chill up my spine at the thought of what these people went through and the brutal way they were dealt with in the aftermath of their defeat…a strange feeling of empathy across the centuries

Dave