Statue of Sir Nigel Gresley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Statue of Sir Nigel Gresley |
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The statue and plaque
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| Subject | Nigel Gresley |
| Location | London, United Kingdom |
A statue of Sir Nigel Gresley made of bronze stands near the booking office of London King's Cross railway station. It was commissioned by the Gresley Society in memory of Sir Nigel Gresley, a locomotive designer who worked in offices at the station and whose designs included Mallard, which set the unbroken steam locomotive speed record in 1938. The statue was designed by Hazel Reeves and cast in bronze at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. A decision taken by the Society to omit from the final sculpture a mallard duck that had been shown on the initial design led to controversy. A 3,200-signature petition was raised to reinstate the duck and the public dispute has been described as "possibly the most acrimonious argument in the long, pedantic history of the railway hobbyist".
Statue
The Gresley Society is a charitable organisation of around 500 members dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the work of Sir Nigel Gresley, a locomotive designer and chief mechanical engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER). Gresley oversaw the design and construction of 2,150 locomotives and tens of thousands of wagons and carriages. One of his locomotives, the Mallard, set the steam engine speed record in 1938, which stands to this day. The Gresley society received a £500,000 bequest from the estate of a member in 2012. After requesting suggestions from its members as to what purpose this should be used it was decided to fund a memorial to Gresley. This was originally to have been a bust but it was later decided to erect a full-length statue. Contributions were sought from the public which raised £13,000 from 130 people.
Sculptor Hazel Reeves was commissioned to produce the statue, for £95,000. Reeves used the traditional lost-wax casting method. She first made a bare model of Gresley from clay (around an armature) to which she added his clothing. This was moulded in resin, which was used to form a wax model for the bronze casting process. The bronze statue was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. From planning to erection the statue took 18 months.
The completed work is around 7 feet (2.1 m) high, standing at some 120% of life-size. Gresley is depicted standing with his right hand in his jacket pocket, possibly reaching for his pipe, and with his left hand holding a technical magazine. Reeves stated that she intended her figure to be captured "in a moment of quizzical reflection" and "looking out towards the future". The magazine is a copy of The Locomotive with the front cover showing the Mallard.
The statue was unveiled on 5 April 2016, the 75th anniversary of Gresley's death, in a ceremony attended by Sir Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, and Gresley's descendants. It stands near to the booking office and just yards from the office that Gresley occupied during his time as chief mechanical engineer. A plaque on the wall behind the statue outlines Gresley's career and names the Mallard and Flying Scotsman locomotives. It also notes Gresley's links with King's Cross from which many of his trains ran. The plaque names Reeves and notes that the sculpture was commissioned by the Gresley Society.
