Why no statues in Accy?
 

As far as I'm aware, there is not a single statue in Accy. There are the war memorials, of course, but no statue to any named individual....no monarch, soldier, politician, industrialist or "celebrity".

This seems to me to make Accy unique amongst similar towns in England. Even Clayton had the bust of Edward VII; there are more than a few in Blackburn; Colne has its Wallace Hartley...Burnley has a few...but what have we got? Nowt!

Does anyone know why this is so? Surely we have had people of note, certainly in the 18/19centuries and possibly the early 20th, to justify a memorial statue. Or are we just a cynical lot? My own opinion is that a good statue is a far more attractive proposition, than say,a cog wheel in concrete or that other piece of loonacy, a panopticon. And if funds were to be made available, who should it be?

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

If a statue went up in Accy it would be spray painted at a minimum and proberly have it in pices inside a week. Sad sign of the times that it could end up costing more to look after it than erect it. Would be nice though Tealeaf a statue of a prominent historical figure connected to Accy. Heres hoping.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

got to agree with your opinion tealeaf, i always make a point of looking at statues wherever i come across them, youve got me thinking now=( people of note?)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

shhhh lets move away from the subject of statues we could end up looking at PB for the rest of our days if he gets wind of this idea :(

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Thats a statue I would have no objection to the teens defacing:D

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Not neccessarily so. In terms of vandalism & street crime, Accy is not that much different than other towns. I have however, rarely seen a statue being vandalised; other structures,yes - certainly some of the more weird pieces of contemporary art.A big imposing statue on a good solid plinth, is rarely touched, other than the head getting covered in pigeon sh*t, but thats about it.

I'm still puzzled on why we ain't got one.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

If they added statues people would only complain that council money wasn't spent wisley enough as it is :p

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Pick any one from the following

1. Because no one has suggested it before
2. Because there isn't anyone of note that the people of Acc want to recognise in this way
3. Because our Council is not 'into' public art of any sort
4. Because no one has got their a**e into gear and raised money for one
5. Because any that have been suggested have been rejected by the Council

I took a walk around Burnley a few weeks ago and counted 12 pieces of public art - some your traditional style sculputures of people and some a little more contemporary but none of them offensive and all of them are interesting and add colour to the streets. I agree with you Tealeaf (for once), I love most types of public art whether it's more traditional or something more controversial - quite simply they brighten the place up.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

i think a statue of a fireman with a plaque of those who died in the line of duty would be a nice thought for a statue if we were to have one

better than some halfwit coucilor or polotition an day in my book :)

i think even todays kids would show respect for people who lost their lives saving others and leave the statue alone

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

I like that idea Chav and thanks for the thought pal.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

I was originally thinking of a statue (or the lack of one) to a named individual, rather than a collective monument to a group. Sticking up statues was the trendy Victorian to do and there were certain rules and symbols which were strictly adhered to..they sprung up all over the place..yet not in Accy! Or maybe we had one,once, and it was moved somewhere else. This is more of a question than a criticism.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

What about Robert Peel. Wasn't he local? He started the police force, didn't he - isn't that why they're called Bobbies?

You'd have thought the Victorians would have put up a statue for him.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Errrrrrrrrr...No. Robert Peel was from Bury. His grandfather was from Church/Ossy. Interestingly, though, the Town Hall was originally built as the Peel Institute (otherwise known as the Mechanics Institute), and that was in its way a memorial to Robert Peel (politician). There are numerous statues to Peel around the country, the best known one being in Tamworth, Staffs.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Blackburn has some really interesting ones with water features and lights in them. I like the one on the bus station of a mum with child in tow that has dropped her teddy bear !

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

A similar one in Blackburn is the "Mum holding Child" in Lord Square. When that was unveiled in the mid-60's there was a right uproar. The reason? The lady is not wearing a wedding ring, which in the (albeit changing) moral climate of the time was well frowned upon....The Bishop of Blackburn wanted it pulled down, saying it encouraged promiscuity and degeneracy.

No comment.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

James Hargreaves and his Spinning Jenny he was form Stanhill.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

This is a question I have often wondered over. I think the only memorialisation of a national figure in Accrington is the unremarkable portrait in oil of Queen Victoria which hangs on the staircase of the Town Hall. It seems the great and the good of preceding generations must rely soley on their headstones for a lasting memorial. A sad and sorry state of affairs. I would however agree with comment expressed earlier; HBC, and Accrington Borough Council which preceded it, have little or no appreciation of Art, either public or in general, which accounts for the poor state of the collections in Haworth Art Gallery, where most art galleries have some sort of aquisitions fund, however limited, the Haworth has none and must rely on the generosity of of individuals for developing the collection.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

oh dear i would of though someone would of suggested this before me but historically speaking that launched this town, the strength, determination & most of all courage 'lest we not forget them' The Accrington Pals to be hounorably be a a huge feature in our town pride & place.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Are you suggesting one on the line of the commando monument in scotland?

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

I dunno Spuggie cant say ive seen it sounds good though LOL:)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Its on the road upto fort william and looks down the glen. It is simple but puts forward a powerful message in that when you look down the glen it shows what the sacrafice was for.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Thats sounds like what we could do with here Spuggie though dunno whether sticking it up Coppice overlooking Accy would surfice pmsl but some big memorial to celebrate the brave locals of the past.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

I agree but it needs to be in a place of prominance were all could see but there is a shortage of that kind ecept for on broadway.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Mmmmmmmm broadway..... another good idea cos theres all that space in the middle when all builders have finished be a nice centrepiece:)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Located in moorland beside the A82 trunk road, 1¼ miles (2 km) northwest of Spean Bridge, is the Commando Memorial. This 5.1m (17-foot) high memorial was designed by Scott Sutherland, of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art (Dundee) and unveiled by HM Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1900 - 2002) on 12th September 1952. The three soldiers which comprise the memorial look out from their plinth over Leanachan Forest to the peaks of Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis. It commemorates the elite force known as the 'Commandos', which was set up in 1940 on the orders of Prime Minister Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) to harry the axis forces and regain the initiative on the part of Britain. The force trained in the area around this monument, with their Training Centre at Achnacarry, 4 miles (6 km) to the northwest.

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/feat...gpix10038.html

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Ok, this will put some people's backs up, but I think it is a question worth asking? Exactly how many public memorials to the Pal's Battalion and the dead of the First World War do you think is enough? Every Town in the borough has at least one, Accrington has two! Most churches of that date have one, as do schools and hospitals and other public buildings.

I would in no way wish to diminish the memory of those who gave their lives but, when is enough, enough?

There must be very few people still left alive in the borough who lived through and can recall the events of WWI and the tremendous sorrow and loss felt by the people left behind. In Accrington, the people demanded a fine public monument as a focus for their grief and as an imperishable monument of personal sacrifice on such an awful scale. But the people for whom the Oak Hill Cenotaph was a vital part of the process of grieving are now, mostly, gone to their graves. The monument remains, as it was intended to, as a reminder of a defining moment in history, both for the town and the country. In it's stark simplicity it is rich in symbolic associations which call to mind the nature of the sacrifices it memorialises.

More than this, it strikes me, is merely mawkish sentimentality which risks turning what many consider fine and noble deeds into merely a side-show of history. Relatives and friends raised the Oak Hill Cenotaph to be the town's collective monument to the fallen. It speaks quietly and simply, as Accrington folk do, to the heart, where memories are properly kept. And for those of us who keep those memories alive there need be no other monument.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

I was using the commando monument as an example Ab. If we did have a historical figure from Accy built were would it go? The coppice does overlook the town but is far from ideal so maybe up towards green howarth were there is still a view of the town. Other than that there is only broadway.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Well i was mearely suggesting a town centrepiece that relates to the town & the townspeople, ok not Accy pals what about Robert Peel & the Peel family or other big influences of the town?, Queen victoria monuments everywhere too but really what relation is she to Accy or other small towns as blackburn displays her centrally ??

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Would still like to see James Hargreaves and his jenny though. :)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

mmmmmm would be nice centrepiece to the broadway & again part of accy history:D

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Would be better than some of the ideas HBC have of how broadway should look, but allas accy history only goes back to 1974 as far as HBC are concerned. :(

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Please don't take my comments as criticism, that was not my intention.

I agree that Accrington has too little in the way of sculpture or public art. I think it would be interesting to try and get away from the idea that public art has to be memorialising something or someone. Or how about abstract qualities like honour, truth, hard work, hope, aspiration - good and effective local government??????

What about Art for its own sake; the inherant beauty of form or materials?

What about a sculpture of, and about, the good old Accrington Brick?

Or, maybe, something which all of us on the forum value highly, like Freedom of Speech.

If Covent Garden can put brainless celebrities in it's pavement in the form of Stars, what about having the whole of Broadway paved with ideas of what it means to be English?

Who says the Art has to be permanent. I for one would support the idea of filling the town centre with a sea of red roses. They could be grown in troughs and used to make patterns and unusual divisions in the streets.

I also like the idea of water in the streets. Imagine a huge fractured pipe rising up out of the pavement of broadway gushing thousands of gallons of water!

What about light? does anyone remember the pictures they projected onto the facade of Buckingham Palace during The Queen's Golden Jubilee? How much would a few lazers cost? They would be more interesting and be more of an attraction than a few pitiful strings of 60watt coloured bulbs!

Blackpool has the biggest mirror ball in the world located on the promenade - why can't we have one .....Even BIGGER! - on top of the Coppice - floodlit - and radiating Accrington's light to the whole of East Lancashire!

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Just a note regarding statuary. Unless I'm mistaken, some of the some of the stone work appears to have been taken down froMm the top of the market hall, although the statues in the centre are still there.

Have they been removed for cleaning? Lets hope it doesn't take years like it did last time.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Pete that was a bit low was it not. Stanley are doing ok at the moment unlike other teams that could be mentioned. :eek:

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

wWe may not have statues of Accrington Statesmen or Women, but we do have some fantastic pieces of fine building... The Aq'ueduct through the town (although that really infers a water carrier) is a work of art in itself and if maintained is a work of art far superior to most .

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Is there not plenty of statues in the council chamber? :rolleyes:

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

It does seem odd that a town of such wealthy nineteenth century indusrialists didn't lumber upon their downtrodden workers great edifices of themselves for their workers to appreciate in Accrington.

Perhaps they were wiser than we thought thought, and used their vast wealth to build sumptuous summer palaces in the Scottish countryside, away from their loyal serfs. How thoughtful.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

That wouldnt be the bulloughs one would it G Kinloch castle? :eek:

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Yup, it would be.:)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Yeh you have a point the aqueduct is a fine structure:)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Thought it was a viaduct :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Yoy right spuggie I couldn't think of the word ......But it is rather special

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

would suggest a decent spot to place a statue if we EVER got one,would be directly in front of the market hall, the crib was there for many years,and its about as central as you can get.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

They took the crib away and will not put it back so lets demolish the town hall as it is no use and build a statue there. :engsmil:

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

think its a listed building spug. ;)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

fill it with concrete then the building can stay and it will then be a statue ;)

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

The nativity crib is still there every Christmas though isn't it?

Well at least until someone complains it's insulting to other religions.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

yes its still there but unfortunatly the xmas vagrant seems to have dissapeared

used to be a good warm place and at least saw one tramp in there each year they must have put a better lock on now

i think his name was tramp'aclause

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Awwwwwww, that's what Christmas is all about, finding refuge and peace on Earth.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

It certainly does, Willow. I had forgotten about that one.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

There is at least 1 statue in Warrington. It's just round the corner from my office and it's big - on a plinth. Who is it? Oliver Cromwell - warts and all!

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

It's no surprise there is a bust of Peel at the top of the stairs, because the entire building was built as a memorial to him prior to it becoming the town hall. Unfortunatly,it is not accessable to the public 24 hour a day. I should have been a bit clearer when I started the thread...I was referring to a statue or a bust of a person, outdoors,accessable to and viewable by the public 24/7. And that is why I think Accy may be unique - it just does not have one.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

What about the figures that are on the front wall of the market hall? The picture pops up every now and then at the top of this site?

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Surely those are just decoration?

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Mmmm, not sure what the definition would be.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

The flying rats can perch on Queen Victoria quite happily in Blackburn, and make their feelings quite clear on still having an outdated monarchy.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Why have they shut Sir Robert Peel away inside a building? There is (or used to be when I worked there) a statue of him in the centre of Bury.

Apart from Cromwell in Warrington there was a statue of the rugby player, Brian Bevan, on a large traffic island. They moved him when they opened the new rugby stadium and it's proposed to put up a new statue where he used to be. A lot of people, me included, want it to be George Formby, who lived in Warrington until he moved to St Annes and whose mother lived there until she died aged 101. George is buried in Warrington cemetery.

Accrington has plenty of famous forebears. You want a statue? Agitate for one!

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Simple answer to a simple question.It's because all the pigeons will sh*t on them.

Re: Why no statues in Accy?
 

Maybe the councils next big project should be to rid the town of pigeons.