'It's a significant part of our heritage' - Shrewsbury conservation groups welcome £150,000 Lord Hill statue repairs

Earlier this year the local authority revealed it was set to undertake a programme of repair works to the Grade II listed Lord Hill statue on Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, which had been fenced off due to falling masonry since January 2024.

Shropshire Council have now gone out to tender for the repairs, which require a specialist contracting firm due to the highly specific form of Coade Stone used in its construction, with the value of the contract advertised at being up to £150,000.

The statue and column, which stands outside the former council offices at Shirehall, was built in 1814 by the then 22-year-old Shrewsbury architect Edward Haycock and is the largest Doric column in England at 151 feet tall - 15 feet higher than Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square.

And while the cost of repairs may seem steep, heritage conservation groups from across the town have welcomed the move, which they describe as a "significant and highly visible part" of Shrewsbury's heritage.

Shrewsbury based Friends of Lord Hill's Column have been in charge of opening up the landmark on scheduled days in summer, giving the public the change to climb the 172 internal steps which lead to the top, but those tours have been suspended due to the condition of the statue.

Now, the group says it's looking forward to being able to open up access to the monument for the public to enjoy once more.

"Congratulations to Shropshire Council on going out to tender for the repair work to the statue of Lord Hill," said Reverend Richard Hayes, chair of the Friends of Lord Hill's Column group, which has over 2,500 members. 

"Shropshire is fortunate in possessing many important heritage sites, and Lord Hill's Column is one of them. 

"Over the past ten years it has been the privilege and pleasure of volunteer Friends of Lord Hill's Column to open the Column on advertised days, and we've welcomed thousands of people from the county and far beyond, who have climbed the 172 spiral stairs and enjoyed the wonderful views over Shropshire from the top. 

"We look forward to being able to re-open the Column in the spring and summer, and play a part in making Shropshire's tourist attractions available for public enjoyment."

Meanwhile Shrewsbury Civic Society, a not-for-profit organisation set up to help preserve Shrewsbury's built environment, added it was good news that the council was about to take action on the monument's condition. 

"There's not much that can be said by the Civic Society about the actual maintenance works which are inevitable from time to time," said Chair Mike Dineen. 

"But obviously it's good that the Council is looking after a significant and highly visible part of our heritage."