Stratford’s Armillary Could Be Restored or Removed After July Crash

Stratford’s Armillary sculpture, the large metal globe on the Banbury Road roundabout by Trinity Mead, has moved a step closer to being dealt with, four months after a vehicle hit it in July. Stratford-on-Avon District Council has told the Stratford Herald, which first reported the news, that the driver has been identified and that it is working with the driver’s insurers on a repair plan.

The council has also asked Kineton sculptor Chris Johns to set out options for what happens next. According to the Herald, those options range from a full restoration to taking the sculpture down altogether.

What the sculptor says

Mr Johns, who has a studio in Kineton and more than 20 years of sculpture, restoration and theatre work behind him, offered the council an expert opinion about six weeks ago, after first contacting the office of the MP, Manuela Perteghella. He told the Herald he has sent an outline proposal with a few options, but so far has only been able to judge the damage from photographs and from driving past.

He believes there could be damage that can’t be seen from the road, and says a full restoration could cost as much as the original installation, or more, because the sculpture would have to come down and go back up. Any work could also mean closing the road for a time. The next step, he says, is a proper survey of the structure, then a more detailed technical plan, consultation and finally the work itself, which he expects to be “a reasonably long process”.

Who pays?

That has never been clear. The Herald says the sculpture was developed by the Stratford Renaissance Group and designed by the sculptors Renn and Thacker, with a planning application made to the district council in August 2005. It was installed about two years later at a cost of £200,000, but nobody has since owned up to looking after it.

The Herald reports that Warwickshire County Council, the highway authority, told former mayor Cyril Bennis on Monday 9 November that it would spend public money only if the sculpture became unsafe, for example on traffic management or demolition, and not on any other upkeep. For now, the repair depends on the insurance claim.

What happens next

No dates have been given for the survey or any work, and the district council hasn’t published anything about the sculpture on its own website. We’ll add any road closure to our Stratford road closures page as soon as one is announced. To report a highway safety problem in the meantime, use the county council’s report a highway problem service.

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Alex Harrington

Alex Harrington grew up in Stratford-upon-Avon and runs What's up, Stratford? as an independent guide to the town.