Moving statues mark start of Pier Head scheme
Liverpool City Council's improvements to the public space in front of the Three Graces is underway with the temporary removal of two statues to the Liverpool's National Conservation Centre for cleaning.The Monument of Edward VII and the Memorial to Sir Alfred Lewis Jones will be restored while the £7.6m Pier Head Environmental Improvements scheme is completed.
The City has arranged for the works to be delivered by their partners British Waterways as part of the construction of the Pier Head section of the Liverpool Canal Link and is funded by the NorthWest Development Agency and Government Office North West.
The scheme has been coordinated with the new Museum of Liverpool and Neptune Development's Mann Island project and will create sheltered areas at the south end of the site, keeping the north end as an events area, all paved in high quality granite.
There will be plenty of new seating installed, a new central lawn, and new feature lighting.
The main work on the scheme begins later in February 2007 and the whole project is expected to be completed in 2008.
The Monument of Edward VII is a 4.9m bronze equestrian statue of King Edward VII by Sir William Goscombe John. It was commissioned following the King's death in 1910 and was unveiled at the Pier Head in 1921.
The Memorial to Sir Alfred Lewis Jones was designed by Sir George Frampton and features a tall and slender granite pedestal with a bronze allegorical female figure, representing Liverpool. Sir Alfred Lewis Jones (1845 to 1909) was a senior partner in Elder, Dempster and Co, one of Liverpool's most successful shipping companies. Renowned for encouraging the eating of bananas in Britain and on his ships, he was also a great philanthropist and founded the world's first School of Tropical Medicine in Liverpool in 1898.
Councillor Mike Storey, Executive Member for Special Initiatives, said:
"We are very fortunate in Liverpool to have so many great public works of art and the improvement works at the Pier Head provide an excellent opportunity for us to ensure these two statues are restored and preserved for future generations.
"The Waterfront Environmental Improvements at the Pier Head will upgrade a vital public space and we are delighted that they are now starting to get underway."
Martin Clarke, Regeneration Manager, British Waterways added:
"Work started on the new canal this summer as part of the new cruise liner facility. We are looking forward to continuing this partnership with the City Council as we prepare for the main works across the Pier Head."