Compo's Statue Update

As you say Terry about time , I clicked the vote and at the moment 77% think it is a fitting tribute 23% do not for those who don't' wish to read the link I have put the still below. Interestingly in the article his son Tom hoped that some of the cast may be asked to attend the unveiling ceremony , what a pity they hadn't expedited the commissioning and production of the sculpture, more of the cast would still be alive to attend if invited !

compo.jpg
 
It's good to see something, but for the money spent I can't help but feel they could have done better. As this is not what Mr. Gooch promised last year, I wonder if his hands were tied by previous committments to this relief idea.
 
I have to say I voted No in the paper's poll I do not think it does Compo justice , very commendable they used local stone but I feel a full size statue cast in bronze showing his tatty jacket / trousers and infamous wellies would have been a far more fitting tribute . I don't know if the local councils contributed? If they did not then they should have, considering the amount of revenue and interest the show generates for the local economy and the fact that Bill , a London boy through and through , fell so much in love with Holmfirth and the surrounding area he made it his dying wish that he was buried in a local cemetery .

I am now vacating the site soap box for others to use :08:
 
I just don't see where they can site this where it would get the deserved reverence , it looks unfinished to me and being a block of stone then if sited in a thoroughfare on path if you approach from the wrong side you could just walk past it . As I stated a full bronze statue would have been so much better on a lot of fronts, . Like the Captain Mainwairing , Eric Morcambe , John Lennon statues it allows fans to not only admire what they represent but also can have their photograph taken next to the statue as a memento of their visit . There are probably only two appropriate places in Holmfirth for this, either near Nora's or next to Sid's Cafe where Compo spent a lot of time in each episode . The latter is probably the most appropriate in the context of exposure to anyone visiting Holmfirth as nearly everyone heads their first being closest to the centre and bus station .
 
I am not sure what to think of that. I am glad they are doing something for him. They did a really nice job on the detail of his face from what I could tell of the video. Just seems like a lot of 'extra' rock surface that is not being used. If they had carved all of Compo - scruffy jacket and wellies included it might look better. As far as I can tell they might not even have a plaque on it to tell about him. At least carve his name on there and possibly reference Last of the Summer Wine.
 
captain clutterbuck said:
I just don't see where they can site this where it would get the deserved reverence , it looks unfinished to me and being a block of stone then if sited in a thoroughfare on path if you approach from the wrong side you could just walk past it . As I stated a full bronze statue would have been so much better on a lot of fronts, . Like the Captain Mainwairing , Eric Morcambe , John Lennon statues it allows fans to not only admire what they represent but also can have their photograph taken next to the statue as a memento of their visit . There are probably only two appropriate places in Holmfirth for this, either near Nora's or next to Sid's Cafe where Compo spent a lot of time in each episode . The latter is probably the most appropriate in the context of exposure to anyone visiting Holmfirth as nearly everyone heads their first being closest to the centre and bus station .
Click to expand...
They can put it in the planter box in front of Sid's Café. As I understand it, the Special Effects staff helped to kill the tree that was in that box and this would restore the silhouette.
 
Personally the more I look at it the more I wish they'd put it back in the quarry , all this time and money it is not a fitting tribute in my personal opinion . I have watched the video again stopped it and dumped the screen . In my view the eyes look wrong and it spoils the rest of the engraving.

compo3.jpg
 
I, too, wish that they had done a normal statue in bronze. Perhaps sitting on a park bench or some other relaxed format. But c'est la vive, we have to accept what has been done. Thanks to all involved.
 
Is not bronzew a tad pricier than stone?

That sort of stone can erode over time thus not as long lasting as decent bronze ....
 
barmpot said:
Is not bronzew a tad pricier than stone?

That sort of stone can erode over time thus not as long lasting as decent bronze ....
Click to expand...

Initially I am sure it was supposed to be a bronze bust, as you say barmpot the stone will age much quicker
 
It may be but you get what you pay for , this is supposed to be a glowing tribute to the icon that Compo was and who brought trade , visitors and income to the town it would be a nice gesture if the shortfall in the funds raised was bridged by the local councils and indeed a small contribution from the town's traders [apologies if they have already donated] would be a munificent gesture in recognition of what Bill did for the town.
 
Well, if you think about the money raised, its clear that it doesn't go too far. The article indicates that this stone plus the cost of transporting and installing it actually exceeds the funds they had to spend and that the stone maker is eating some of the costs. So in the end not enough was raised to do anything more grand. And at this point, all these years later, I do wonder what the tourism impact still is. One of the earlier linked articles indicated that at one time a potentially much bigger budget was envisioned.
 
I have been to Holmfirth twice this year as part of a coach holiday break through National Holidays and on arrival there have been other coaches pulled into the bus station from both National and other Holiday Companies, all spending money in the local economy . The LOTSW tour bus always seems to be full and the impromptu tour guide seems to make a fair living daily by guiding people around . I have to temper that view by stating that I spent a good 9o minutes [until I had to leave to catch the coach] in the Museum next to Nora's but sadly I was the only one person in there during that 90 minute spell which I found surprising, given all the memorabilia from the show it houses .

There are people all too eager outside to have their photograph taken on Nora's steps and presumably at Sid's Cafe . It is clearly several years since the show finished filming however at the time it was in production I imagine it was boom time for the town in the context of tourism and the interest was most definitely there . I think they have missed their opportunity to maximise the potential for the most fitting tribute , all of this should have been sorted a few months after Bill's sad demise . Thetford clearly has some rich patrons because the Friends of the Dad's Army Museum funded the Captain Mainwaring statue .

I simply don't accept this guff about the delay being down to resourcing the right stone and selecting the right location to site the statue, it's 17 years since he died and if that's the best they can come up with for one of the UK's comedy icons then it is a very very sad day indeed
 
Holmfirth still does a good trade on the back of the show, you only have to look at the live webcam (When it's working) to see the tourist coming to see the Cafe and do the tour bus, some of the large tour coach operators still do trips to Holmfirth to see where the show was filmed, on the visits I have made since the show ended I still see many people there just because of the show including oversea's visitors, some Holmfirth folk complain the disruption caused when they were filming, as far as Holmfirth goes out of a 6 week filming block twice a year, they only spent 3-4 days filming in the town in each block, so much filming was done elsewhere including Marsden which had very few visitors due to the show, to me Holmfirth seem happy to enjoy the business yet complain a lot about it
 
Just found out that you could do a one off dog sized bronze statue for about £9,000 all in. Thus no idea what a human one would cost. Obviously a lot more so £8,000 was not going to go very far!
 
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