Verity

Few public artworks in the South West generate as much discussion as Verity, and standing on Ilfracombe Pier looking up at her makes it clear why. Damien Hirst’s 20.25-metre bronze and stainless steel sculpture of a pregnant woman with her anatomy partially revealed, one side smooth bronze, one side a cross-section of muscle, bone and foetus, stands on the end of the pier, sword raised, scales in hand, facing out to sea.

It is intended to be a modern representation of Truth and Justice, and the deliberate echo of classical statuary combined with the unflinching anatomical detail gives it a power that photographs cannot quite convey. Whether you find it beautiful, unsettling, thought-provoking or all three, standing next to it in the real world is an experience quite different from seeing it in images.

Hirst loaned the sculpture to North Devon Council for 20 years from 2012 as a gift to the town, and it has transformed Ilfracombe Pier into a destination. The walk from the town centre to the pier takes about five minutes, and Verity makes a natural anchor point for a harbour walk that continues to the Old Lifeboat House (now the Aquarium) and around to Lantern Hill and St Nicholas Chapel.

Verity is free to view at all times, and the pier around her is a pleasant spot in itself, particularly at sunset when the light catches the bronze. About 6 miles from Woolacombe.

The scale of Verity becomes apparent gradually as you approach along the pier: photographs rarely convey the full 20 metres of the figure in its harbour context. The decision to place it on the very tip of the pier, facing out to sea, gives it a sense of purpose and location that a more sheltered or institutional setting would not. The surrounding pier is a pleasant stroll in its own right, particularly at high tide when the sea comes close to the structure. The view back towards Ilfracombe from the pier end, with Verity in the foreground, is one of the area’s most distinctive photographs.