Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
NIMROD
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 129 | |
Manual Reference | MR/BUR29 | |
Type | Sculpture | |
Title | NIMROD | |
Sculptor | Leuw Green, Betty | |
Date of design | ||
Year of unveiling | 1975 | |
Unveiling details | ||
Road | ||
Precise Location | ||
A to Z Ref | ||
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | ||
Work is | Lost | |
Listing Status | Not listed | |
Duty of Care | ||
Commissioned by | ||
Notes | ||
A life-size reclining male nude with his right arm resting on his raised right knee. The sculpture is a made of bronze resin and fibre glass, and was cast at the Bury Arts and Crafts Centre. | ||
Representing her idea of “the complete handsome male specimen”, the sculptor offered the sculpture to Bury Corporation who accepted it and decided to install it in the centre of the ornamental lake in Townley Park. However the new sculpture quickly became an objective for children paddling in the lake to climb upon. Such high spirited-action was soon followed by more deliberate vandalism and the sculpture soon deteriorated. Mounted on a pyramid-shaped pedestal, the nude figure attracted comments from people who considered the figure inappropriate in a place used by children. According to the sculptor "Nimrod" became a landmark to be reached by children who paddled or sailed boats in the lake. Such high spirited actions - 'It was loved to death by the children rather than vandalised' - resulted in damage which the sculptor repaired. Eventually the Bury Director of Recreation and Amenities had the sculpture removed for further restoration (1) but instead of it being returned to the park it was moved to the town's public swimming baths and, later, to Whitefield Library. It finally passed into the care of the corporation's parks department and is presumed to have been lost. A head of Nimrod, sculpted at the same time as the main figure, was purchased in 1999 by Bury Art Gallery | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1975 | |
Condition | Don't know | |
At risk | Don't know | |
Inscriptions | ||
Signatures | ||
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
Figure | Bronze resin and fibre glass | |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
Sculpture presumed destroyed | |