In one of the local city parks at Burslem you can find a sculpture called The Mayfly Throne.
It's by local sculptors Andy Edwards and Philip Hardaker and was inspired by the life cycle of the Mayfly.
It replaces a statue of a water nymph which was donated to the park in 1894 by Sir Henry Doulton. It was vandalised in the 1960s and taken away for repair but never returned.
The Mayfly sculpture was unveiled in 2012. It sits on the original plinth the top of which was decorated by pupils from three local schools. I assume the idea of throne is because you could possibly, if small enough, sit between the wings.
The Mayfly Throne isn't a replica of the orgiginal as a detailed photograph of it couldn't be found.
Andrew or Andy Edwards is famous for many sculptures including the one below.
I took this photo when we visited Liverpool in June 2016.
Also locally on The Brampton in Newastle-under-Lyme the WWI nurse inspired by author Vera Brittain writer of Testament of Youth who was born there in 1893.
For once it was a sunny morning when we walked in the park although very cold so gloves and scarf came out of the drawer again.
Now that is an odd sculpture. I do like the others though. Very chilly here today as well, hard to get used to after the heat of the past week.
ReplyDeleteIt is unusual but quite beautiful to see in the sunshine. Still very cool here but dryer than it has been, thank goodness:)
DeleteIt is an unusual sculpture Rosie but really rather lovely. I wonder what happened to the original statue of a Water Nymph. I particularly like Andy Edwards Beatle sculpture. Brian and Emily went to Liverpool some years back on a coach trip to see all the Beatle locations and I wonder if they saw that.
ReplyDeleteThe blossom is looking so lovely.
I think so too and also wonder what happened to the original statue. I couldn't find a photo of it on line. I loved the Beatles sculpture for its energy. There is one of Cilla Black too but we didn't see that. I wonder if they saw the sculpture? I'm not sure how long it has been there. The park was full of blossom trees:)
DeleteLove the mayfly. I hate it when things disappear and then don’t return. We had a wonderful sculpture of flying birds at Jersey airport. It disappeared when the airport was remodelled. It did reappear in the middle of a roundabout but it’s beauty was lost because it was surrounded by bushes which totally obliterated it.….progress ! B x
ReplyDeleteI do too. I've heard a few times of sculptures or plaques turning up years later in council depots or people's gardens. It sounds as if the flying birds were more suited to the airport than in the middle of a roundabout where drivers are concentrating on the road rather than what is on there :)
DeleteVery unusual and quite a difficult subject to sculpt, I should think. Coincidently, I only read about Andy Edwards earlier today as his next subject is Queen Elizabeth II. 😊
ReplyDeleteYes, It is quite an unusual design, some of his smaller works are on roundabouts locally, including a bee, a fish and a hare. I saw on the local news about the new sculpture of the late Queen, I think it is going in a local park where there is already one of Queen Victoria:)
DeleteI like how you've captured the shadows created by the sculpture. I think the children would find it a fun place to sit.
ReplyDeleteYes, I can see children sitting there in between the wings and parents taking photos. Such a lot for the imagination:)
DeleteI like the mayflower sculpture and the shadow on the plinth created by the wings. The Beatles sculpture is very natural. Almost a moment frozen in time. Thank you for sharing all the sculptures here.
ReplyDeleteThe shadows of the sculpture were lovely in the sunshine. I really liked the Beatles sculpture as it was, as you say, natural and how they will be remembered:)
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