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Statue by the Hall of Memory

R

ragga

master brummie
I dont recall ........ Do you ???? ........or is it a fake photo .
ragga...

 

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I can not recall seeing the statue on any of my pictures or in any of my books. I agree with Dave89.
 
I thought that too ......... some april fools prankster , could someone
from the admin team delete the thread please ....
ragga .....
 
Now, we could delete the thread, but then you would never know what you missed out on. The statue was part of the proposed plan for the Civic Centre in about 1947, but only the Hall of Memory and Baskerville House were built, the rest of the idea was abandond.
LOOK WHAT YOU COULD HAVE HAD.
 

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Cheers Postie for more imformation on the statue , yes you can
see St George and his dragon too . the plan from 1947 looks
good , shame it was abandoned . I vote now for this thread
to keep going .
thanks ragga .
 
cheers for the civic piccie Postie still think something not quite right about the statue however lol would have been nice to see the whole project had it been finished Oh Well... gonna examine the location of statue more closely now lol Ragga he he he he nice one
 
If you had been around in Victoria Square in 1937 you would have seen this temporary structure. It was erected to celebrate the Coronation of King George VI & Queen Elizabeth.

So it was a real structure and not a figment of someone's imagination or a mock up for some never completed project. I wonder what happened to it. I suppose it is stored away somewhere and everybody has forgotten about it.

Phil
 

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nice pic pmc ...however that is in victoria square and the one that ragga posted was by the hall of memory so was there one similar to that ?.. that may have been put up by the hall?
 
hi guys
now we have estabish the true or false of the picture of the tele mass
i woulf like to know when the old water fountain was installed with its colour
i personaly do not know andi really would like to know and when the gas
burner was planted there = please
best wishes astonian;;
 
This post is confusing two different columns.

One is the column with St George slaying the dragon on. This sculpture was made out of wood and plaster for the coronation of George VI and was erected in Victoria Square. The following year it was moved next to the Hall of Memory for the city's Centenary celebrations. The sculptor was Alan Bridgewater.

The Birmingham Civic Society proposed a pemanent version in stone, on the island that used to be at the top of New Street, but sadly the outbreak of WWII saw that it was never realised.

The other column, shown in the plan for the new Civic Centre was the "Spirit of Birmingham" which was to be a bronze man in art deco style at the top of a column and who would have been the centrepiece of the cevic centre. The Birmingham Civic Society commissioned William Bloye to sculpt the work.

There is a model of the proposed civic centre in the Art Gallery.

Details of the Spirit of Birmingham from the PMSA (Public Monuments & Sculpture Association):

Although a statue on a column symbolising the spirit of Birmingham appears to have been included in a model of the Civic Centre as early as 1934, (1) it was as part of the celebrations to mark the coronation of King George VI in 1937 that Bloye was first commissioned by the Civic Society (2) to make a nude figure of a young smith, similar in appearance to Industry, the Supporter on the City Coat of Arms. (3) In 1938, under a project for the beautification of the city to celebrate the centenary of the granting of the Charter of Incorporation, a permanent statue was envisaged for the Civic Centre and the Civic Society gave £1500 to the Corporation for this purpose. (4) Postponed until 1948 due to the War, Bloye then produced a model 76 cms. high, and then a quarter size model in clay, approved by the General Purposes Committee. It was forecast that the full-size model would be ready by July 1951, and the bronze cast a year later, but the total estimated cost for the 140ft column and statue reached £43,520 and so the proposal, initially postponed for a year, was never completed. (5)

Just shows that it's not only what we lost in the war, but also what we lost out on...
 
Thats what I love about this forum ..someone nearly always comes up with the right info to a disputed or debatable topic ...thanks for that .. so Ragga what started out on april 1st as a question is answered ..thats yer real answer I think ? lol
 
I agree otherhalf what super information we are truly blessed!
 
There are four statues around the Hall of Memory

This one represents the Air Force


Hall of Memory statue - Centenary Square, Birmingham - Air Force by ell brown, on Flickr

This one represents the Navy


Hall of Memory statue - Centenary Square, Birmingham - Navy by ell brown, on Flickr

This one represents the Army


Hall of Memory statue - Centenary Square, Birmingham - Army by ell brown, on Flickr

and this one represents Women's Services


Hall of Memory statue - Centenary Square, Birmingham - Women's Services by ell brown, on Flickr
 
These are my all time favourite Birmingham statues. Toft really had a gift, and to me, these are a wonderful tribute to the forces. I love their style, design, their appearance and their expressions. But the best thing of all is one depicts the Women's Services. Although it was recognised that women made an important contribution in WW1, I doubt there are many memorials commemorating their work in this noble way. It must have made quite a surprising and celebrated appearance in 1925. Second favourite has to be the Air Force statue, looking even more glorious the way the light falls down upon it. Nice one Ell! And well done Arthur Toft. Viv.
 
Thanks Viv (I posted that here in 2010).

How it would have been if this model got built (only Hall of Memory and Baskerville House)



 
Thanks for that Ell. I learned a lot from that video (not least to look up more at the buildings mentioned).
Love the Boulton, Murdoch Watt, don't like the re-gilding!
 
I worked on the clay figures for the Boulton Murdoch and Watt the whole thing was cast in bronze. I think they ruined it with the gold glitter. I know Mr Bloye would be turning over in his grave with what they have done. I also worked on the cost of arms over the entrance to the building o Bennets Hill. John Crump OldBrit. Parker, Co USA
 
That's amazing John, some of my earliest memory's are of my Dad taking me to the Hall of memory and walking in those beautiful gardens, and around those big statues, (not gilded then), and Dad telling me about the Army, navy Air Force etc, and you worked on the actual moulds. Paul
 
Charlie said:
Thanks for that Ell. I learned a lot from that video (not least to look up more at the buildings mentioned).
Love the Boulton, Murdoch Watt, don't like the re-gilding!
Click to expand...

No problem. The video was by History West Midlands.

I couldn't find a William Bloye sculpture thread, should I start a new one?

Do have various photos on Flickr of his work (not all of them). And not all tagged as William Bloye (if I didn't know who the sculptors were).
 
Mr William Bloye was into many things from what I remember working for him. Renovating old house, we repaired the damage from WW2 bombings, plaster ceiling cornices and mouldings and other damage to large homes and building. Making railroad times posters, all done by hand each day(By ME) Carving memorials to the cremated in the wood walls of the crematorium (byME) many, many, coats of arm on buildings and pubs around Brum, Of course many of said buildings are now lone gone. Mr Bloye from what I remember was not personally involved in all this. There was a foreman (Jack?) that seemed to oversee what was done. My Bloye had his own personal studio in the back of the property, an old house on Golden Hillock Road, we where not permitted in there. But he was always around when working on the bigger items like the Boulton Murdoch and Watt,Sculptor 001.jpg Queen Victoria etc. project. John Crump OldBrit.Parker, Colorado USA
 
Must have been an exciting time John, and what a memorial to your trade for you to leave behind, we walk around our great city's and marvel at someone's workmanship but not knowing who did it. You should write down as much as you can remember and send it to the city's fathers.
 
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