11:00am Sunday 21st March 2010
A TOWERING steel statue of a gypsy cob horse with its mane and tail flowing and its head held high, is to be installed in Belvedere.
The statue entitled The Cob, to be created by internationally renowned Scottish sculptor Andy Scott, was the overwhelming favourite in a public vote.
More than 400 people took part in the poll to choose a design for the piece of public art, and The Cob won support from 71 per cent of voters.
People had a choice of two possible statues.
The other design, Strive, was a figure emerging from a coil of cable and clutching the two ends of the cable in his hands, recalling Belvedere’s industrial past and its connections with the cable industry.
Standing 5m (16ft) high, the statue will be erected on the roundabout between Picardy Manorway and Bronze Age Way.
The public art commission is part of the £10.6m Belvedere Green Links regeneration programme, which is being paid for by the Homes and Communities Agency, European Regional Development Fund and the London Development Agency.
Its aim is to create a high profile feature at the gateway to the regeneration project, which will also be a navigational aid to the goods traffic heading for the industrial estates.
The public art also had to provide a local landmark and celebrate Belvedere’s rich history.
Comments made voters for The Cob iincluded: “‘Having lived in Belvedere all my life like my parents and my father’s parents have, I think this would be more of a significant sculpture representing days gone bye.
“I remember walking down past the marshes with my grandmother to meet my grandfather from work.
“All those surroundings are now long gone, but I feel this would represent what stood before the industrial estates were even there.”
Mr Scott, who will contruct the statue in his Glasgow studio and transport it in sections to Belvedere, said: “"I am delighted with the choice and really appreciative of people taking the time to get involved in the selection process.
“I am now eagerly anticipating commencing work on this striking landmark and doing my best to capture the spirit of the cob in steel for the people of the Belvedere area."
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