It's a meeting place, a bus stop, a feature of the Esplanade and part of a traffic island.

But how much do you know about the King's Statue and the man who inspired it?

Who was George III?

The King's Statue on Weymouth Esplanade was built in honour of King George III who began visiting the town in 1789 to recuperate from an illness, which was later diagnosed as the rare blood disorder Porphyria. He stayed in a house on the seafront which was built his the king's younger brother William Henry, Duke of Gloucester.

The reign of George III is remembered for the loss of the American colonies - but it was also the era when the United Kingdom emerged as a major world power.

When was the King's Statue built?

In 1802 the king granted permission for a statue to be built in Weymouth in his honour. It was made at the Lameath Ornamental Stone Manufactory and was finished in 1804. However, for reasons unknown, the foundation stone was not laid until 1809 in the presence of two of the king's children Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge and Princess Mary. The statue was unveiled on October 25, 1810.

What has it been used for over the years?

Speaking in 2010 to mark the statue's 200th anniversary, then Weymouth Museum archivist Richard Samways said the King's Statue was a meeting place in the early 20th Century and it was here that the end of the First World War was announced to the people of Weymouth.

People also gathered here for the proclamation of Elizabeth II in 1952. Later, it became a traffic island, and lost its role as a central gathering place.

What's it made from?

The statue is considered rare because it's made from a type of ceramic called coade stone, which was invented by entrepreneur Elizabeth Coade, who lived in the West Country and had a house in Lyme Regis.