The iconic statue of Nottingham’s legendary outlaw is to be repaired and improved so that it remains a fitting focal point for visitors outside a revamped Nottingham Castle.
The Robin Hood statue, sculpted by James Woodford and gifted to the city
in 1952 by local businessman Philip E F Clay, suffered a broken bow last year
which the City Council has appointed specialist public art restorer’s Lost Art
Limited to fix. The statue was recommended for listing by Historic England as
part of Nottingham’s Heritage Action Zone.
This is not the first time that repairs have had to take place on the sculpture – recently Grade II Listed – but the breaking and taking of the lower part of the bow presented a difficult challenge. Fortunately, the council has an original cast piece of the bow from 1952 which has enabled Lost Art to re-cast a replacement piece. The repair is estimated to cost just over £6,000 which will be paid for by the council.
To complement this work, Nottingham Business Improvement District (BID) has also agreed to carry out further investment to make a number of other site improvements. This will include:
- Cleaning and restoring other plaques and sculptures near the statue depicting the Robin Hood tales
- Installing CCTV cameras in the area to help protect the sculpture
- Improving the area’s lighting to better showcase the statue and sculptures
- Carrying out landscape improvements.
Work on site is set to start on Thursday 28th March by Lost Art. There will be opportunities for the public to
see the work being undertaken, although there may be times when the sculpture
is hidden from view to allow the craftsmen to undertake the works required.
Hugh White, Director of Sport & Culture said:“With the £30m Nottingham Castle transformation well underway, it is fitting that we turn our attention to what is happening outside the Castle walls and look at what we can offer for the huge upsurge of tourists we will see when the site is reopened.
“It’s great that we have been able to arrange for this important
sculpture to be repaired and that its future is being protected. Visitors will
once again be able to stand and get their photographs with Nottingham’s most
famous rebel, in all his glory.
“We are very pleased to be working with the Nottingham BID on this project and
I am sure that the repairs, along with the improvements planned to be made to
the area, will increase the considerable tourist footfall still further.”
Jeff Allen, chairman of Nottingham BID said: “Robin Hood is a world class brand that people worldwide associate with Nottingham. It is especially important that, whilst Nottingham Castle is closed for major renovation work, visitors to the city have somewhere to take their photos – the statue is the single most iconic representation of Robin Hood in the city. We considered it essential that the whole area is substantially upgraded to tie in with the statue repairs.”
Dominic Liptrot of Lost Art Limited said
“We are delighted to have been invited to contribute to the restoration of an
iconic memorial to a much-loved hero. Our staff will take as much pride in
their work on the statue as the people of Nottingham do in what Robin Hood
represents both locally and around the world.”