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- The Prince of Wales has made a startling addition to
the wildlife on his Highgrove estate - a 15ft bronze statue of a mythical
bird nesting on top of a 60ft column.
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- The creature with its outstretched wings glinting in
the winter sunshine towers above the Gloucestershire countryside on the
300-acre estate.
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- Whether the Phoenix-like bird represents the Prince's
rejuvenated hopes for the new millennium or carries some other private
symbolic meaning is unclear.
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- The Prince inherited the column on which the bird stands
five years ago when Victoria Station in London was refurbished. He had
it erected at the bottom of a newly-planted avenue of lime trees as a focal
point. At the time it was said that the Prince had no plans for a statue
to sit on top of the column, but he has had a change of heart.
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- The folly is the second addition to the Prince's beloved
gardens at Highgrove in time for the millennium.
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- He has also installed a private "dome" in a
secluded part of the newly-planted arboretum. The small, rounded building
has been constructed using traditional Cotswold materials and is to be
used for quiet contemplation.
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- It was created by Charles Morris, the surveyor, who also
designed the Orchard Room complex at Highgrove.
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