A KONG JOURNEY

THE super-sized King Kong fibre glass statue was created in 1972 by sculptor Nicholas Monro and initially took up residence at the Bull Ring’s Manzoni Gardens.

Strangely, Monro was commissioned to create something “city orientated”. He delivered King Kong “for my own petty reasons”.

Since then, the artwork has been moved to sites around Birmingham. In 1972, used car dealer Mike Shanley bought the statue for £3,000, changed the name of his business to King Kong Car Co and placed the statue on his sales lot.

Four years later, Kong’s value had risen to £12,700 when he was bought by Nigel Maby’s Scottish company Spook Erection Ltd and displayed at Ingliston Market, Edinburgh.

Since then, Kong has been on his travels around the country.

But in February 2017, he was returned to the Maby’s garden in Cumbria and has remained there ever since. Back in 2013, Mrs Maby said: “I would never sell him, I have grown very fond of him, but I would consider allowing him to go on holiday for a time.

“He was on a market site in Scotland at Ingliston near Edinburgh for a number of years, but Ingliston closed and I moved him back to Penrith Market.

“The area he was on was rented to another company so we had to move him. He was lying on his back and I wasn’t sure what to do with him so we got a lorry and finally got him here and up my drive.

“He’s back on his feet and is now retired – he’s one of the family. I thought I would bring him back to the house because he will be safer up here.

“He has a very good view of Penrith, but I am open to offers for him to have a holiday in Birmingham.”