An artist has put up his own statue of ex PM Margaret Thatcher in her home town of Grantham, before the district council unveil its own statue of her, reports the Grantham Journal
Mark Robla has made his own version of a statue out of plaster and placed it on top of the plinth where the sanctioned sculpture will go.
Mr Robla said: “I saved the council £400k and displayed my new piece.
“It depicts Margret Thatcher’s head stuck onto a pike made from an office chair, standing at 5ft 3in on the 10ft plinth while still clasping her iconic handbag at the base, all carved completely from plaster.
“I paid about £5 for the chair and took it apart. There were two metal poles inside which I made into a pike and the base of the chair helps balance the sculpture.
“It took about four months to complete and with materials it cost about £100 in total.”
He added: “A lot of my thoughts about Margaret Thatcher come from being Welsh.
“Mines closed down and she was never a positive figure.”
Egg throwing contest
The pandemic has delayed the unveiling of the statue and there are also plans for an “egg throwing contest”, when it is finally shown to the public.
In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue – which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.
However it will now stand on a 10ft-high granite plinth in Baroness Thatcher’s home town of Grantham, Lincolnshire, due to fears of a “motivated far-left movement… who may be committed to public activism”.
The council leader describing it as a “fantastic opportunity for the Grantham community to celebrate its heritage”.
A council report stated: “The unveiling of the statue provides an opportunity for Grantham’s community to celebrate its heritage.
“The event will be used to promote ‘Inspirational Women of South Kesteven’ including Edith Smith who served in Grantham as the first female warranted police officer in the country.
“There is an element of cost to hold any successful large scale event which will also include essential elements to ensure that security and public safety is maintained.”
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