Mysterious Instagram page hints at resurrection of the Grim and Havelock statue
‘I WAS CREATED FOR THE PEOPLE OF GRIMSBY. I NEED TO BE WITH THEM’
A MYSTERIOUS Instagram page which claims to be the voice of Grimsby’s iconic Grim and Havelock statue has been set up and is full of hints that it could soon be on display once again.
The well-known statue once stood outside Grimsby Institute on Nuns’ Corner for 33 years before being taken down permanently in 2006 following repeated episodes of vandalism. Now, it lies in storage within the Institute - but seemingly, that may not be the case for much longer.
Around three weeks ago, the Instagram account grimandhavelock was set up. The bio on the page reads: “I was created for the people of Grimsby. I need to be with them.”
A picture of the platform on which the statue once stood is accompanied with the caption: “I was here…. I was taken down in 2006 - I will rise again…” while other hints on the page include the hashtag “resurrection is coming” and the caption “A New Hope... 2022”, along with a recent picture of the statue stood up once again.
The head of baby Havelock has been broken off the statue, along with part of Grim’s left arm and his private parts. However, the statue appears to be in better condition than it was in an image taken in 2008, two years after it was taken down permanently.
In March, owners of the new Turntable Gallery on Victoria Street expressed their interest at “resurrecting” the statue.
Darren Neave, 48, told the Grimsby Telegraph: “When I used to come to Grimsby as a kid, there used to be the sculpture at Nuns’ Corner. When I used to see that, I’d know I was in Grimsby to see my grandad.
“It takes you back. If there’s any way that we could resurrect that sculpture, we have the perfect space for it.
“No matter what state it’s in, just to have it on the gallery floor would be amazing. It should be resurrected in some way or represented, and I think it might bring the community together. I think it’d be good, and maybe the new emblem of Grimsby.”
He continued: “We’d have to centre a show all around it. I think I’d be almost beside myself, because it’s something that you’ve seen as a child over and over and over again. It’d be amazing to have it here. I think it’d be pretty special - and why shouldn’t it be presented in a gallery on the street where people can come in and see it?
“It’s something that would be, for me, absolutely incredible. There’s nothing like that that’s been in Grimsby for a long, long, long time.”
It’s something that you’ve seen as a child over and over and over again. It’d be amazing to have it here. I think it’d be pretty special Darren Neave