Work under way on £150k project to fix Shrewsbury's crumbling Lord Hill column
Specialist repair works to Shrewsbury's crumbling Lord Hill statue are set to be completed by October, after a £150k contract was awarded to a county firm.
Oswestry-based restoration specialist Phillips and Curry is set to complete the long-awaited repairs to the statue on Abbey Foregate, which were the subject of a £150,000 tender document earlier this year.
In May this year, Shropshire Council said it was seeking a heritage specialist to repair the statue outside the former Shirehall building in Shrewsbury, which has been fenced off since January 2024 after debris fell from the structure onto the public area below.
The base of the column was cordoned off in January 2024 due to the condition of the statue, while events which previously allowed members of the public to climb the column's 172 internal stairs before admiring the views from the top were also suspended.
Work is due to begin this week on the long-awaited repairs, with "cracks and surface fills" due to be fixed on the 200-year-old statue once scaffolding has been erected around the column.
The 17-foot-tall statue on top of the column is constructed in Coade stone, once a popular choice for neoclassical statues, but now considered to require specialist repairs due to its relatively rare nature.
Due to the extent of deterioration, the statue's left arm will be removed and a cast replacement made, Shropshire Council said.
Councillor for Shrewsbury's Column ward Rosemary Dartnall said she was relieved to see the works were now in progress, having received enquiries from residents concerned with the deteriorating condition of the statue over the past 18 months.
"I'm pleased it's going ahead, as it's an important part of our heritage and it's important that it's kept in good condition. Residents will I'm sure be delighted that it's on the way to being restored to its former glory and more importantly to a safe setting," she said.
Upon completion of the works, the statue will be painted and areas affected by algae and lichen growth will be steam cleaned, including the lions, buttresses and affected paving slabs.
Erected in honour of General Rowland Hill, the column is the highest free-standing Greek Doric column in England and stands 13 feet higher than Nelson's Column in London's Trafalgar Square at 133 feet tall.
Repair work is expected to be completed by late October.
