A round of applause went up in Agincourt Square on Thursday 17th June, as the Shire Hall's statue of Henry V was reunited with its missing baton.

Builder Eric Knight was given the important task of using a cherry picker to get close to King Henry and secure the baton in his hand.

The baton, which was stolen last month, had been taken away to Lichfield to be repaired at Linford Joinery.

As the Beacon reported a few weeks ago, police managed to track down the baton, and returned it to the council for safe keeping.

Mike Booth, manager of the Shire Hall, said: "I am very pleased to see the baton back in its rightful place. The gilded baton is a piece of history in itself, as it is almost 300 years old. What makes it even better is that we actually have the original back.

"It would have been all too easy to make a copy, but to know that what we have is the original is brilliant."

Mike also said: "Today has been a great day, as some of the boarding is coming down too. The people of Monmouth can finally start to get their Shire Hall back."