Half of funds raised for memorial to late Queen Elizabeth II in Rutland
The bronze statue which will be seven feet tall, standing atop a five feet tall plinth made of local Clipsham limestone.
Half of the required funds have been donated for a permanent memorial to the late Queen Elizabeth II in Rutland - the first in the UK.
Rutland is to be the first place in the United Kingdom where there will be a permanent memorial and lasting tribute to our late Queen Elizabeth II.
That is ambition of the plan unveiled today by The Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Dr Sarah Furness at a packed Oakham Castle.
The bronze statue which will be seven feet tall, standing atop a five feet tall plinth made of local Clipsham limestone.
The statue will be cast at the local foundry of Le Blanc in Saxby, and it is hoped to be erected in time for the first anniversary of the passing of the late Queen on 8 September 2023.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Dr Furness said: “We have no statues in Rutland, so it will be rather special to have a piece of public art. We felt very strongly about the Queen here in Rutland and we celebrated her Platinum Jubilee with everybody out having street parties, flags and bunting during June last year.
“When her majesty passed a few months later, it was such a shock and I was inundated with phone calls and letters from people asking how we could do something, because they felt it as a personal bereavement as the Queen had been such a stable and permanent presence throughout our lives.
“This statue will be placed right outside the library here in our County town of Oakham, and as you can see at her Majesty’s feet there is a charming little Corgi dog with which she was so much associated. But we will also be putting a second bronze Corgi at the base of the plinth which will be looking up at the Queen, but low enough so that children can come and pat it.”
Sculptor, Hywel Pratley was also at the launch ceremony, and he added: “I’m a foundry sculptor at Le Blanc in Saxby and I was approached by The Lord Lieutenant, Dr Sarah Furness to see if I could undertake such a project.
“It is an enormous honour to produce a public sculpture, but to be of our late Queen is particularly special. Bronze is a wonderful medium to work in and it should last for many centuries, so this really will be a lasting memorial from the people of Rutland to their late Queen.”
At the ceremony it was revealed that almost half of the required funds have already been donated, including one donation of £20,000, and four of £5,000, one of which very generously came from Oakham Town Council.
Anybody wishing to donate any sum, small or large can do so, and the appeal is now open. Any sums of £5,000 or above will be recorded in stone at the base of the plinth and receive an invitation to attend the post-unveiling reception.
As this will be the first public memorial to his mother, it is hoped that King Charles III will agree to attend and make the unveiling.