Author Topic: King Kong Statue Birmingham  (Read 5438 times)

lizzlunney

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King Kong Statue Birmingham
« on: March 07, 2016, 05:22:49 PM »
Hello,

I just came across this forum by chance but maybe some people here would be able to help me with some research....

I am an artist based in Berlin, originally from Birmingham. I am working on a book which will partly be about the King Kong statue that was once in our city, I'm sure some of you are familiar with it but if not search "king kong statue Birmingham" on Wikipedia.

I'm looking for photos, information or memories you may have of the statue or anything connecting to it. At the moment I am in early research stages but I am setting up a blog which will detail this project and I can send a link to if anyone is interested.

The book will cover my love of Birmingham, my hometown, and touch on the history of the city in an autobiographical way but alongside the story of the King Kong statue. So far I have mainly been trying to contact Nicholas Monro who is the artist hat was commissioned to do the sculpture, he is 80 and I do not know for sure if he is still alive but if anyone has any leads on this too it would be most appreciated.

If anyone has any photos or information that they don't mind me using my research blog and as reference images for the artwork they will of course be credited.

Thanks to anyone here who can help.

Lizz

roy one

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2016, 07:54:20 PM »
you might like this
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

blueblizzard

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2016, 08:39:49 PM »
you might like this

            Just look at him lording over a few people thinking he rules the world,,,,,,,,brilliant
Don't take life so seriously,,,nobody gets out alive anyway

wetdog

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2016, 07:35:25 AM »
strange what bham put up as art etc at the top of the ramp also bull ring there used to be a sea mine , disarmed I guess

Phil

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2016, 11:02:59 AM »
Wetdog

I don't think the sea mine or the bomb that was in the old market was ever meant to be considered as art as they were just both collection boxes. I can't remember what charity the mine was collecting for but the bomb was for the Lord Mayors charity that provided the Christmas Parties that Percy Shurmer organised.
Phil died in 2020. RIP.

Bannion

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #5 on: March 08, 2016, 12:39:50 PM »
Memory fails given time and here we are going back a long time to just after the second world war but I have a childhood memory of the sea mine was collecting for the mercantile navy personnel.  There was a small brass looking plate denoting it attached, I am fairly certain of reading it one time.   As many of the merchant navy suffered from those mines it would be fitting the collection, so close after the hostilities, would have been to look to their families.

Pity King Kong wasn't used as a worthwhile collection item.  Think of all the pennies it would have held? ;)

JudithM

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #6 on: March 08, 2016, 01:33:10 PM »
I don't have any photos, but I remember being taken to see it when it was in Manzoni Gardens - I was a small child and it was so enormous  :o  I remember seeing it a couple of times after that as we'd take a detour to see it when we went to the city centre.  When it was moved to Camp Hill you could see it in the King Kong Car Co when you were going over the flyover.

It's a shame the Council didn't take up the offer to buy it when they could, and even more of a shame that it's languishing in car park unused now with the owner refusing to sell  :-[
"I know tomorrow's gonna taste like cake"

planetmalc

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2016, 03:26:42 PM »
It's a shame the Council didn't take up the offer to buy it when they could, and even more of a shame that it's languishing in car park unused now with the owner refusing to sell  :-[
 
The price quoted when new was astronomical (£50,000 seems to ring a bell :o , a phenomenal amount of money back then   -   how much a year were YOU earning in those days? :-\ ) and the Council wisely turned it down.     I believe it was made of fibreglass, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why it would cost anywhere near 50 grand to make. ???      The artist must have come to some arrangement with the Council whereby it would be on display (in return for Lord knows what) but I guess he was captive to the situation and didn't have many options.      There was clearly a big falling out between the 2 parties, which led to it ending up at the King Kong Car Company, where it eventually got damaged when vandals tried to burn it down. >:(        Having become an eyesore, the Council wanted it gone and resorted to threats to take the Company to court on the (highly dubious) grounds that firms were not allowed to use the word 'King' in their company names! ::)       King Kong Cars gave in and the sorry simian headed north to pastures new. :'(           
There's no B/S on Planet Malc.

roy one

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2016, 04:35:29 PM »
the king
each day is a blessing and I bless each day when it comes

JudithM

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"I know tomorrow's gonna taste like cake"

planetmalc

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Re: King Kong Statue Birmingham
« Reply #10 on: April 01, 2016, 04:41:51 PM »
April Fool's joke?

http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/king-kong-statue-return-outside-11121118
 
Definitely! ;D     The story's author, Graeme Brown, posted it at one minute past midnight, which is a dead give-away. ::)      Personally, I'd like to see it happen. O0 
There's no B/S on Planet Malc.


 

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