Queen Vic’s revamp
See page 7
The restoration of the landmark statue of Queen Victoria in the Town Hall gardens has moved a step forward thanks to the Scarborough and District Civic Society.
President, Adrian Perry, says the society has found a suitable contractor to carry out the work and scaffolding has now gone up.
“This is a project we started two years ago,” says Mr Perry in the society’s latest newsletter.
He added that he was hopefully the restoration work could be completed “in the coming months”.
Some of the funding has been provided through a legacy from the late Richard Flowitt, a former vice chairman, said Mr Perry.
The statue is one of seven original bronze statues made by sculptor Charles Bell Birch which stand around the world as far as Australia and India.
The statue originally cost £600 which in today’s money is approximately £65,000.
It was unveiled in 1903, two years after Queen Victoria’s death.
The society is also planning to update its Scarborough Blue Plaques brochure, which features the plaques which have been erected in memory of prominent people with Scarborough links.
Mr Perry said the society – which was founded in 1964 by the late Sir Meredith Whittaker, one time owner of the Scarborough and District Newspapers, and the late Gerry Strefford, a leading gents outfitter – had “much to do in the coming months”.