Public Monument and Sculpture Association National Recording Project
ARTHUR BROOKE Photograph
Region ID | MR | |
Work ID | 404 | |
Manual Reference | MR/TRA20 | |
Title | ARTHUR BROOKE | |
Sculptor | Stones, Anthony | |
Date of design | 1999 | |
Year of unveiling | 1999 | |
Unveiling details | 7 December 1999 | |
Road | ||
Precise Location | Trafford Centre | |
A to Z Ref | ||
OS Ref | ||
Postcode | ||
Work is | Extant | |
Listing Status | Not listed | |
Duty of Care | ||
Commissioned by | Broke Bond | |
Notes | ||
Bronze life-size sculpture of Arthur Brooke who is shown standing proud and confident on a tea-chest, his arms outstretched, a teapot held in his right hand, a cup and saucer in the left hand. He is wearing an open frock coat showing his waistcoat. | ||
The bronze sculpture was commissioned by Brooke Bond plc in 1999. The commission required Stones to produce the finished work within two months. Careful planning was essential to realise the project. Photographs of Brooke were studied, a pose determined, suitable clothes collected, and, using his son as a model, the work begun. A member of the Brooke family and representatives of the company visited the studio to see the work in progress. Stones wondered whether he might have broken the world record for modelling a life-sized historical figure in clay for bronze. For Stones, who had lived near Manchester as a child, Brooke was a 'cheerful icon of Lancashire hospitality.' The figure was sculpted with a rough texture and the bronze finished with a rich tea patina. The teapot and cup and saucer were life casts, the sculptor having been dissatisfied with his own models. The work was delivered and ready for unveiling in December 1999. In the Trafford Centre the statue was placed on the first floor in The Orient section. | ||
Arthur Brooke was the founder of the famous Brooke Bond tea company. He was born in Ashton-under- Lyne in 1845, and after an unsuccessful period working in the cotton industry, went to work in the family's ailing grocery and tea business. Brooke built up the business, opening his first shop in Market Street, Manchester in 1869. Although the company's name suggested another partner there was in fact no Mr Bond, Brooke simply believed that the additional name added a certain gravitas to the fledgling firm. The company grew rapidly and had become a household name by the time Brooke retired in 1910. Arthur Brooke died in 1918. | ||
circa | ||
raw year | 1999 | |
Condition | Good | |
At risk | No known risk | |
Inscriptions | ARTHUR BROOKE / 1845-1918 / Founder of the Brooke Bond Tea Company / who opened the first Brooke Bond shop / in Manchester in 1869. / Sculpted by Anthony Stones. / Donated to the Trafford Centre by / The Brooke Bond Tea Company. Arthur Brooke was the founder of the famous Brooke Bond tea company. He was born in Ashton-under- Lyne in 1845, and after an unsuccessful period working in the cotton industry, went to work in the family's ailing grocery and tea business. Brooke built up the business, opening his first shop in Market Street, Manchester in 1869. Although the company's name suggested another partner there was in fact no Mr Bond, Brooke simply believed that the additional name added a certain gravitas to the fledgling firm. The company grew rapidly and had become a household name by the time Brooke retired in 1910. He died in 1918. The bronze sculpture was commissioned by Brooke Bond plc in 1999. The commission required Stones to produce the finished work within two months. Careful planning was essential to realise the project. Photographs of Brooke were studied, a pose determined, suitable clothes collected, and, using his son as a model, the work begun. A member of the Brooke family and representatives of the company visited the studio to see the work in progress. Stones wondered whether he might have broken the world record for modelling a life-sized historical figure in clay for bronze. For Stones, who had lived near Manchester as a child, Brooke was a 'cheerful icon of Lancashire hospitality.' The figure was sculpted with a rough texture and the bronze finished with a rich tea patina. The teapot and cup and saucer were life casts, the sculptor having been dissatisfied with his own models. The work was delivered and ready for unveiling in December 1999. In the Trafford Centre the statue was placed on the first floor in The Orient section. The statue, unfortunately, was placed on a cheap and inappropriate base covered in green tiles, loose stone chippings filling the space around the tea chest and the base. | |
Signatures | ||
Elements
Element Details
Part of work | Material | Dimensions |
|---|---|---|
statue | bronze | 190 cm high |
Assessment of Condition
Surface Character
Detail | Comment |
|---|---|
No damage | |
Structural Condition
Structural Condition | Comment |
|---|---|
None | |
Vandalism
Vandalism | Comment |
|---|---|
None | |
