Statue of Romulus and Remus on Land at Beechbarrow House
STATUE OF ROMULUS AND REMUS ON LAND AT BEECHBARROW HOUSE, A39
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1392416
- Date first listed:
- 21-Feb-2008
- List Entry Name:
- Statue of Romulus and Remus on Land at Beechbarrow House
- Statutory Address:
- STATUE OF ROMULUS AND REMUS ON LAND AT BEECHBARROW HOUSE, A39
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1392416
- Date first listed:
- 21-Feb-2008
- List Entry Name:
- Statue of Romulus and Remus on Land at Beechbarrow House
- Statutory Address 1:
- STATUE OF ROMULUS AND REMUS ON LAND AT BEECHBARROW HOUSE, A39
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- STATUE OF ROMULUS AND REMUS ON LAND AT BEECHBARROW HOUSE, A39
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- Somerset (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- St. Cuthbert Out
- National Grid Reference:
- ST 57018 49020
Reasons for Designation
The statue of Romulus and Remus at Pen Hill is being designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * A well-preserved, good quality sculpture of the mid-C20 * Considerable intrinsic interest as a commemorative structure that celebrates the bond between the Prisoners of War in this area and the local community * The competent design and craftsmanship of a highly visible statue * It successfully demonstrates that concrete can be an imaginative medium as well as an attractive and practical one
Details
ST CUTHBERT OUT
1925/0/10016 A39 21-FEB-08 Statue of Romulus and Remus on land at Beechbarrow House
II Statue. 1945 by Gaetano Celestra, an Italian Prisoner of War. MATERIALS: Bonded cast concrete sections in red and grey, with incised and applied decorations. EXTERIOR: Statue depicting the legend of Romulus and Remus, twin sons of Mars, suckling the she-wolf. The figures are set on a rectangular plinth that has decorative panels of vermiculation to each side. This is carried on four square columns which are decorated with raised semi-circular motifs on all four sides. The whole stands on a pedestal and the rear edge of a boundary wall. The inscription on the base records the statue's erection to commemorate the kindness shown to Prisoners of War during their internment in the Wells area HISTORY: The statue was designed and sculpted by an Italian Prisoner of War, Gaetano Celestra who was brought to the prisoner of war camp at Penleigh, on the north west side of the City of Wells and some 4km to the south west of the statue's location in 1943. Whilst at the camp, Celestra, a mason and builder by trade was employed locally to repair boundary walls. He was granted permission to build the statue with help from fellow POWs during his spare time. Its design was based upon the legend of Romulus and Remus, the traditional founders of Rome, who appear in Roman mythology as the twin sons of Mars. In 1945 the monument was erected alongside the A39, at Pen Hill in recognition of the kind way that the prisoners had been treated. After the War Celestra settled in the area and continued working as a builder and stonemason.
REASON FOR DESIGNATION DECISION The statue of Romulus and Remus at Pen Hill is listed at Grade II for the following principal reasons: * A well-preserved, good quality sculpture of the mid-C20 * Considerable intrinsic interest as a commemorative structure that celebrates the bond between the Prisoners of War in this area and the local community * The competent design and craftsmanship of a highly visible statue * It successfully demonstrates that concrete can be an imaginative medium as well as an attractive and practical one
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 504328
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 28-Jun-2026 at 22:11:17.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.