The stocks in north London's village green, a relic from a brutal past, date back to 1953, replacing older versions lost during WWII. Despite being a modern installation, they represent centuries of punitive history, with their origins tied to England's Statute of Labourers 1351. Following a period of deterioration, the Southgate Green Association successfully restored the stocks in 2002 for their 50th anniversary. Currently, there's an ongoing project to restore nearby metal railings and install a heritage sign to share their historical significance. Interestingly, while the act requiring stocks was repealed in 1863, stocks' usage as punishment remains technically possible.
Although the act requiring every town to have a set of Stocks was repealed in 1863, the use of Stocks as a punishment might not have been formally abolished.
These stocks, made from oak and kept outside, deteriorated quite badly by the millennium, leading to a restoration effort in 2002, just in time for their 50th anniversary.
The modern punishment stocks, installed in 1953, are replacements for older stocks that went missing during WWII, making them a unique historical relic.
Incidentally, these are officially Stocks, as they restrained a prisoner's feet; the classic image of a head and arms through a raised bar are known as pillories.
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