A sculpture which was unveiled in the town centre in June 2014 but destroyed by vandals the following month has been restored and installed to its original position on Alderley Road.
The Pear, which was carved from red St Bees sandstone by Wilmslow sculptor Keith Carter Harris, has been repaired and a more solid construction has been designed. The plinth is made from the same sandstone as the original sculpture plinth, but this time it is one solid block.
Due to the heavy weight a lorry and crane were required to lift the plinth into position and The Pear is secured to the plinth with steel dowels and mason's stone adhesive. The plinth is also secured into the concrete foundations with steel dowels.
Sculptor Keith Carter Harris said "I am very pleased to have been given the opportunity to return my sculpture, The Pear, back to it's original position in Wilmslow.
"I have had wonderful feedback from people already, saying how happy they were to see it back.
"My wife Melanie and I were walking back home after an evening out on Saturday night and decided to change our journey, so we could walk by the sculpture. We saw a couple walking past it, and the girl peeled away from her partner and turned back towards the Pear, and stepped up to it in order to run her hand over it. I can tell you that it is a wonderful feeling, to feel you have moved someone with your art."
Wilmslow Town Council provided a grant of £500 towards the cost of the new plinth stone, the lifting and moving of the stone from the quarry in Kerridge to Wilmslow, the final fixing of the new plinth into the foundation and a new brass plaque.
The total costs are in the region of £1300 which have been covered by donations from two individuals, two local nurseries and Incredible Edible have donated £100 themselves.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
Now it has been restored, perhaps Sainsburys could be persuaded to clean their wonderful frieze. It's dirty and I remember being most impressed driving through Wilmslow on business during the eighties and nineties, when it looked absolutely splendid. A beautiful terracotta lies beneath the grime and the figures depicted would be so much clearer.
I can think of an organisation or two who would love to do this!
Like the wreck of a building in the Leisure Centre car park, not much needs doing. I hope that there is more will to get this done at Sainsburys than at CEC the owners of the wreck, who clearly don't care at all about the image of Wilmslow. WTC want the building to sort it out (thank you), but CEC won't do it. So much for local democracy - CEC Cllrs shame on you. Give WTC a chance to do what you are not.
I have to say that I don't see this edifice as either a piece of art, or an asset to Wilmslow... but hey, what do I know?
As for the Sainsbury's mural, WTC can reach out to Sainsbury's.
Kind regards,
Gary
This is a disgraceful example of looney left thinking - state ownership. Even though it's not wanted we will still keep it, just in case somebody else can do a better job and that shows us up.
Surely conservative councillors can see the sense in letting private enterprise use it? You always have planners to determine what is or is not sensible for the site. OR why doesn't CEC let WTC sort it out? It's so simple. Sell it!