Shrewsbury's crumbling Lord Hill statue to be repaired
The crumbling Lord Hill statue – one of Shrewsbury's most famous landmarks – will be repaired extensively later this year, council bosses revealed today.
English Heritage has recommended that Shropshire Council proceed with "significant" work which will see the 198-year-old statue of Lord Hill, next to the Shirehall, repaired and repainted.
Scaffolding will be erected around the structure early next month and work is now under way to appoint a contractor to carry out the repairs before the winter weather arrives.
New pictures released today show the full extent of the damage to the statue.
And the structure has deteriorated even further since the latest images were taken in November.
Bosses at the local authority have confirmed they intend to apply to English Heritage for a grant of up to 25 per cent towards the costs, but admitted the statue will require further repairs every five to 10 years.
The move means a second option to replace the 17ft-tall statue with a new replica structure has been ruled out.
The options were outlined in a report by conservation experts Taylor Pearce following an inspection in November.
The report, published by the council today, reveals that the full extent of the work will not be clear until a closer inspection which means it is "difficult to be precise" over the costs for repairs.
Severe winter weather leading to frost damage has been identified as a major reason behind the deterioration of the historic Lord Hill's Column, which is more than 133ft high.
It has remained sealed off from the public since stonework fell to the ground in April 2012 as well as in December and again this April.
Councillor Keith Barrow, leader of Shropshire Council, said: "After being exposed to the elements for nearly 200 years, Lord Hill is clearly in a bad way and we need to do something to stop any more bits falling off the statue, and to make the area around the Column safe for passers-by.
"As English Heritage has recommended that the statue be repaired in situ, we'll now carry out the necessary repairs as soon as possible.
"But as further repairs are likely to needed in five to 10 years.
"We want people to tell us now what they think should be done with the statue in the long term."
The Taylor Pearce report says that extensive repairs, including the erection of scaffolding, would still remain "considerably cheaper" than the costs for removing the structure completely and installing a new one.
It adds: "Long term the costs for maintenance are not known, but it is fair to assume that it would need to be done every five to 10 years.
"The longevity of the existing sculpture is impossible to gauge, but it is certain that on-going maintenance is to be considered as a major factor in the decision to keep the original on the column.
"The fact that a large scaffold is required to access the sculpture makes even a simple re-painting job very expensive."
See Wednesdays Shropshire Star for a special report on the Lord Hill statue
