King Alfred has a wash and wax
Winchester’s iconic statue of King Alfred the Great will have a ‘wash and wax’ next week.
The 5-metre-tall bronze sculpture stands on a large stone plinth at the top of the Broadway in Winchester and features in many images and views promoting the city.
It was created by sculptor Hamo Thornycroft in 1900 to mark the 1,000th anniversary of Alfred’s death and it was unveiled in 1901. The £5,000 cost was met from public subscriptions.
The statue is cleaned and receives a new protective coat of wax every seven to ten years to prevent the metal from deteriorating.
The 2015 work will be carried out by Laurence Flood of Bronze Restorations Ltd starting on Monday 15 June. The £4,425-project is funded by Winchester City Council and it is expected to take about two weeks.
Cllr Steve Miller, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Estates, said:
The King Alfred statue is one of Winchester’s most famous landmarks and it is important that we keep it in top condition. This new coat of wax will restore the statue’s burnished bronze appearance and help to protect this city icon against everything the weather can throw at it for the next few years.”
Alfred was King of the West Saxons (AD 871-899). Winchester was his capital and the street layout of the present-day city was established during his reign. The dedication on the sculpture is to: “The Founder of the Kingdom and the Nation.”