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Story
and pictures by Rosy Burke
The
Fine Lady is now nearly complete in clay in a warehouse in Leek,
near Stoke-on-Trent.
The
impact is great when you first see the sculpture - it is suprisingly
romantic, mysterious, graceful and very impressive.
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| Even
the smallest details are being worked on carefully |
The
Fine Lady sits sidesaddle, with long graceful flowing robes and
her hair tumbling down her back.
She
wears a cloak with a hood and her hair is garlanded with spring
flowers - research by the sculptors shows she may originally have
been a queen of the May.
The
elegant and muscular horse is full of energy, as if momentarily
reined in.
It
has a fantastic flick of tail swept to the side.
It is absolutely beautiful.
The
nursery rhyme will be inscribed around the base of the plinth on
which the sculpture will stand, looking towards Banbury Cross itself.
The
bronze will be stained so the horse is white.
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| The
pattern on the robes is picked out in wax |
It
is being created by three scultors
who work under the name Artcycle. They
were responsible for Stoke's famous statues of Sir Stanley Matthews.
When
I saw the model it was almost complete, ready to be cut in to sections
for the moulds to be taken.
The
whole will eventually be cast in bronze and reassembled.
It
will stand approximately 15 feet tall - one-and-a-quarter times
life size - not counting the plinth.
We
are almost halfway there with the appeal - we have raised £75,000
and need to raise the same again.
I
can't wait to see her in place and see people's faces - I am sure
she will be famous far and wide.
| Banbury
Town Mayor is holding a race night for the statue appeal on
the evening of Friday, April 25 in the Town Hall. Tickets are
available from Banbury Town Council on 01295 250340. |
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