King's Centenary over Square
The Birmingham Post has reported that the statue of King Edward VII, currently situated in Highgate Park, will be refurbished and relocated to Centenary Square; King Edward VII statue set for move to Birmingham city centre.
The statue is to undergo a £114,000 restoration to return the statue to the city centre in time for the centenary of the King's death. The statue was built from £5,000 raised by a memorial fund launched by the Birmingham Mail following the monarch's death and was originally unveiled in Victoria Square in 1913. The statue was moved to Highgate Park in 1951 following the remodelling of Victoria Square and it has remained unloved and vandalised with three bronze sculptures on the plinth being stolen alongside damage to the statue.
The photos below show the statue currently sited in Highgate Park.
The restoration will be paid for by Birmingham City Council with Targetfollow, the owners of Baskerville House which will be adjacent to the site of the relocated statue, contributing £10,000.
The planning application to refurbish and relocate the statue was approved in 2008.
Images of the refurbished design and it's new siting adjacent to Baskerville House from the 2008 planning application is shown below.
The statue is to undergo a £114,000 restoration to return the statue to the city centre in time for the centenary of the King's death. The statue was built from £5,000 raised by a memorial fund launched by the Birmingham Mail following the monarch's death and was originally unveiled in Victoria Square in 1913. The statue was moved to Highgate Park in 1951 following the remodelling of Victoria Square and it has remained unloved and vandalised with three bronze sculptures on the plinth being stolen alongside damage to the statue.
The photos below show the statue currently sited in Highgate Park.
The restoration will be paid for by Birmingham City Council with Targetfollow, the owners of Baskerville House which will be adjacent to the site of the relocated statue, contributing £10,000.
The planning application to refurbish and relocate the statue was approved in 2008.
Application number
C/07752/07/BLB
Date application received
21/12/2007
Date application registered
18/01/2008
Date application decided
03/04/2008
Location
Centenary Square, land at, City, Birmingham
Proposal
Repair and relocation of statue from Highgate Park to Centenary Square.
Status
Approve
Images of the refurbished design and it's new siting adjacent to Baskerville House from the 2008 planning application is shown below.
King Edward VII visited Birmingham on a number of occasions both as monarch and Prince of Wales. In 1874 he visited Joseph Gillott’s Pen Work, 1885 he opened the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, 1891 he opened the Victoria Law Courts, 1904 he opened Elan Valley to supply water to Birmingham and in 1909, 9 months prior to his death he opened The University of Birmingham.
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