 Major rebuilding took place in the Lower or Middle town area following a fire in 1791 . In that year a Carrara marble statue of Queen Anne , sculpted by Francis Bird was presented to the town by Sir Jacob <unk> , who served as the local Member of Parliament from 1698 to 1715 . It originally stood in the parish church but was moved to Wellington Square in 1893 , when the marble pedestal and canopy by H. Dare Bryan were added . Lower town and the quay area were rebuilt and the fortunes of the town revived with the growth in sea bathing , and by 1851 was becoming a retirement centre . 
