TO show their support of Warrington’s City of Culture bid Warrington and District Arts Council are planning to commission a new statue of Joseph Priestley.
Margaret Tye
Chairman Margaret Tye said: “I was born and bred in Hull but have made my home here for nearly fifty years. Warrington deserves to succeed Hull as the next City of Culture. The town is packed with voluntary cultural societies, most of them unsung but with very active members.’
“Most European towns, many of them a quarter the size of ours, will have a dozen or more public statues of local and national personages.
“Warrington has just three, Cromwell, Colonel O’Leary and Brian Bevan.
“Joseph Priestley is an international scientific figure whose name will be instantly recognised from Beijing to Buenos Aires. He did major work on electricity whilst living in the town, was Master of the Warrington Academy at Bridge Foot as well as being ordained a Minister and getting married in Cairo Street Chapel. It is right that we should commemorate him.’
“We are asking the Council to provide a suitable central site for the statue and the Arts Council will raise the funds from the scientific companies in the area and from public subscriptions.”
Margaret celebrates her ninetieth birthday at the end of May and still leads the Warrington Arts Council and is active in the Soroptimists (a society which encourages the advancement of women) and the Lewis Carroll Society.
She was the Librarian at what is now the University of Chester campus on Fearnhead Lane.
Colonel O’Leary
Brian Bevan statue
1 Comment
Perhaps one location that might be considered for the statue would be the grass verge in front of the Salvation Army building which apparently stands on the site of what was Priestley’s house during his time in Warrington. The Academy was also apparently moved to Academy Street during Priestley’s time there but most references to the Academy seem to refer to the Bridgefoot location.