An obelisk from Truro that wound up in Dairyland’s car park will return to the city following the auction of effects from the now closed attraction.

Truronians are being asked to suggest location for the monument’s permanent home.

The memorial used to sit outside almshouses in Pydar Street. It commemorates the generosity of woollen draper Henry Williams, who in 1629 bequeathed money in a charitable trust to fund a hospital for 10 poor widows, including the provision of clothes and a living of four shillings (20p) per week, and a meadow so they could keep a cow.

The complex opened in 1631, but the site was cleared along with that of the old cattle market to make way for the new Crown Court in the 1980s. The company that secured the contract for the demolition work was owned by John Rawlings, who found the monument on his refuse tip and donated it to Dairyland, where it was displayed until the attraction closed for good in 2024.

Historian Barry West negotiated the return of the pillar to Truro. “I wrote to them, as I believe did Truro City Council, and made a compelling case for its return,” he said. “They said yes, willingly, and domnated it free of charge.”

Mr West is now calling for site suggestions, from Victoria Gardens to Boscawen Park, Lemon Quay to the Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery – or even as close as possible to its original location.

“I don’t have a preference where it goes, other than it must be accessible and easy to find, see and enjoy by locals and visitors alike,” he said.

“It should be appreciated by the community, especially schoolchildren, so we can learn about its relevance and the story behind it, and the people who made it all possible so many years before our time.”