Statue of Liberty
The statue with The Summit apartments in the background
ArtistJoseph Morcom
LocationSoar River bridges, Leicester

The Leicester Statue of Liberty is a small replica of the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) by local stonemason Joseph Morcom installed at the twin Soar River bridges in Leicester, England.[1]

Background

The statue was the result of a visit to New York in 1919 by the directors of Lennards "Liberty" shoe factory, and originally stood on top of the shoe factory on the way to Filbert Street.[2] The factory was demolished in 2003, but in 2008 the statue was restored near the original location on the western entrance to the Swan Gyratory, a large roundabout making use of two steel bridges across the Soar on the way to the King Power Stadium.[3]

References

  1. ^ Stephen Butt (2013). Leicester Through Time. ISBN 9781445609423. The Liberty Statue Sculptor Joseph Morcom created the Liberty Statue in his works in the Newarke behind the present museum buildings. Lennards Shoe factory was built on the corner of Eastern Boulevard and Upperton Road in 1919.
  2. ^ Stephen Butt (2013). Secret Leicester. ISBN 9781445630779. The idea to place a version of the famous Statue of Liberty on top of a shoe factory in Leicester was a result of a visit to the USA by the directors. Lennard Brothers Ltd was established in 1877 by five brothers
  3. ^ "Liberty landmark returns to city". BBC. 18 December 2008. A nine-tonne statue removed from Leicester five years ago has been restored at a roundabout close to its original location
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