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Birmingham Statue Campaign

Concerning Nelsons Statue in the Bull Ring. On the original pedestal on which he stood there were children dancing around the bottom of it, as can be seen on the on the attached photo. I seem remember that when it was moved for the 60's revamp of the Bull Ring the pedestal was damaged. However it looks like it was never replaced and when he was moved back to his rightful place the Admiral was minus some admirers.
 

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Aren't they all still alive as I believe it is rare for a stature to be erected of a living person by a public body if ever?

Julie Walters was born in Smethwick by the way.

I may need my tin hat but I do not consider any of the above worthy of such recgnition.
 
hi phil
many thanks for coming back on it it probaly fits in with what you have said so its seems it could have been the case
but the scenery and the building are not of the one i have on my picture this was 1949 ; what year was your picture taken
but as you say it as probly was it looked different with out the famil figures around the base
and its on a different post thanks phil; i will rest my case and i go along with what you have said ;
best phil keep them coming ;Astonian;
 
Jennyanne & Astonian here are another couple of photos of Nelson. One taken in 1955 showing the figures on the plinth the other shows him after he had been banished to the outskirts of the Bull Ring. You can plainly see that no figures are present at this time, obviously they were left behind at the old location.
 

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This image scanned from an old Evening Mail shows the statue in 1948.
img057_renamed_15981~0.jpg
 
Astonian said:
hi elbrown ;
Have you an enlarged picture of this statue be cause what calvert as got on his picture dated 1949
is a white round concrete pillar and had it had a couple of othere features around the rearside of the pillar
with a lady or girl postioined with a harp instrument and another one along side that appears to be a person with a child
to me the one you are showing in black or i surpose its in coulour bronzed or it loks like s different person to what you are saying
and the monument is surrounded on a brick bulding with cast iron railing around it
the wife is out today so i will go into the loft and try and cross check if its the same figure which is smaller but the coulours are better ;
also on the picture surrounding it there are four gas matle lamps placed around the four corners of the figure
and its the bull rin oing down the steep hill with allthe hawkers shouting and calling out come on love try these it when they was beckoning the public
to try there fruits before they buy and also we had the trolly buses running up and down through the bull ring along side the tram lines
and in the view he painted was the number nine 29 A bus goin up through baldwins lane pheasy estate via king standing it says
picture relates to 1949 ; best wishes Astonian;;
Click to expand...

How about this (medium 640 size)



 
Haven't seen them all Ell. These two are excellent. The version we see now is different from the original but at least it is still an important piece in the
Bull Ring. Bit more about the original base of the statue: https://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/westmacottr/32.html

Hi Astonian: I have only a small print online of Robert K. Calvert's Bull Ring print of 1949. The original statue was still there then and
perhaps the base of the statue shows up on Calvert's print with the figures, trident and rudder which were not replaced after the
statue was moved.
 
I stand corrected ty Bernie on J.Walters & the thoughts statues awarded postumiously.
I guess the statue of Nelson was that because he was a national hero ? ... if so maybe the statue should be opened up to Britain not only Brum.
 
ellbrown said:
Created a set with all of my Birmingham statues / sculptures.

Warning - is over 800 photos in this set, so you will have to browse down to see them. All date from 2009 to 2013.
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Great set of photos Ell. Have I missed something, or are there really already a lot of sculptures around the place? So does Birmingham need another? If we're scratching our heads to think of another suitable sculpture, is it the right time to commission one? Shouldn't a sculpture commemorate something/somebody very significant? These are all questions going through my mind now we've tossed this idea about. But maybe I'm missing the point here. Or maybe a city can never have enough street art. Viv.
 
Good point Ell as, like you say, there's also a lot of good sculptural art on many of Birmingham's building exteriors.

Going back to the original post, these seem to be Birmingham Civic Society's criteria for the artwork :

- a piece of artwork that will "define the city worldwide" to mark the group's 100th year in 2018

- to raise at least £1m purely from donations to fund it

- something that would "put it on the global map" and "People will want to come to see the public work of art"

- people "will photograph it, it will go on postcards, it will go around the world. People will visit Birmingham - not just to see the statue - they will want to see it and tick the box in the same way that we go to New York and we tick the box once we've seen the Statue of Liberty."

So what would define Birmingham worldwide and would draw people to it I wonder? Personally I think, as it's to celebrate the centenary of the Civic Society's formation in 1918, maybe it would be appropriate for the piece to refer back to that date? So I'm moving towards what did Birmingham do in WW1, a global war and the 'war to end all wars', which people would want to come and see? Viv.
 
John Bull hopes it will get a lick of paint, and hopes it will come back to Birmingham.
Think the owner is willing to loan it for a short period.
 
Vivienne14 said:
An update on the search for an appropriate piece of artwork for B'ham. Deary, deary, converting the BT Tower into a giant pen!! Viv.

https://www.birminghampost.co.uk/ne...art-project-gets-5324325#.UfadrcSLVao.twitter
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hi viv...quite surprising myself with this one...looks like there are a few options but i do like the one to turn the BT tower into a giant pen/nib to signify that brum for many years made pen nibs for the world..an industry that many of our ancestors worked in..a bold statement...will follow this with interest...

lyn
 
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Would it not be far better to give the Pen Museum more money and better facilities than paying huge amounts of taxpayers money for a giant pen.
 
The Pen Museum has great facilities and maybe the tower would generate more visitors. I agree with Lyn this would highlight the citys history. I think all the Pen Room need is more volunteers.
 
No public money is involved. No decisions have been made as to what form it will take. May be best to not speculate IMHO.

Sent from my HTC Desire X using Tapatalk 2
 
well dek ;
its certainly changed brum for better or worse i would not like to say
yes look around brum and we have nicked ideas from almost every city in the world but we most certainly lost the name tagg as being the dirty smokie industreal city of the world aint we ;we have got some think from every part of the world even russian once on the centreian square before some burt the statue down of all those figures of men that once stood there but give the council credit
they are trying hard to compete agaist the foreign lands we do not want to be seen lagging behnd now do we ;and become the begotten city now do we ?
but i do agre i think the planners have lost there way now i do not like allthese glass frontage and one thing i have to say his and i have seen mentionioned on here bout the new libary even thou i have not been in the city for years i seen a climps on the news of a picture shot of the new libary and i have to say its horrible
dezign ;some may like it but for me no; so yes there is an agreement with me to say yes they have lost the plot ; best wishes Astonian;
 
I'm going to stick my neck out. An anchor would be my choice, maybe in bronze. Given that the airport is involved, the use of the PO Tower makes sense. So I'd put an anchor up there, which indicates to all where the Jewellery Qtr is, embraces many trades at the same time and is of international significance. It could be in the style of Bloye, bit like the boars head on the pole outside the Boars Head in Perry Barr, but bigger. But then I do like anchors! (As Bernie says in post #62 - where's my tin hat!). Viv.
 
Why does the city centre have to have it all,why not have statues,monuments,whatever to every gateway into the city,we ceratainly have enough famous people to honour,or have they forgot.
 
there you go vivv;i think its a good idea and a posibility of a suggestion;
regardless its a tall building and a land mark as you are coming to brum
and in the next breath vivv ; the americans have a tall building as you are reaching america shore line isint that a bit of brum emulating america ;thou
but yes vivv; i entirely agree with you the anchor would represent birmingham ;
for our gold and silver industry but what about a big hand and with two big
doves perching on the hand that would be a sign of our heart felt greeting
to the world ; may be the council should asked the people of brum for ideas
but yes all knocking and joking aside to have some think on top of te tower would be a great idea ; as you say it is a land mark for brum
have a nice day vivv ; best wishes Alan ;; Astonian;
 
We have a new library which resembles a mosque,wedding cake,etc..now some bright spark wants the BT tower to look like a Minaret,dear oh dear..I'm off for a pint.
 
derekw said:
We have a new library which resembles a mosque,wedding cake,etc..now some bright spark wants the BT tower to look like a Minaret,dear oh dear..I'm off for a pint.
Click to expand...
I hope your beer isn't served up to you in a long, tall glass that looks like a... (would it be safer to have a Scotch?)
 
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