Statue of Max Miller
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright for Photograph: Creative Commons |
Location
| Street: | New Road / Royal Pavilion Gardens |
| Town: | Brighton |
| Parish: | Brighton |
| Council: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN1 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Garden |
| and in: | Road or Wayside |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | Dome access road in a small grassed and fenced area. |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 162 |
| Grid reference: | E7 |
| The A-Z books used are A-Z East Sussex and A-Z West Sussex (Editions 1A 2005). Geographers' A-Z Map Company Ltd. Sevenoaks. | |
| Previous location: | Near to the Stage Door of the Dome. |
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Makers
| Name : | Peter Webster |
| Role: | Sculptor |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Max Miller Appreciation Society |
| Construction period: | January 2003 - May 2005 |
| Unveiling date: | 01/05/2005 |
| Work is: | Extant |
| Owner custodian: | Max Miller Appreciation Society |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | Life sized bronze depicting Brighton born comedian Max Miller on stage. Reference is made to Miller’s act through his trade-mark stage clothing and hat, symbolically representing the “blue book, white book” and quotes from his stage patter. Modelled in clay and plaster from photographic and video references and cast in bronze using the lost wax method. The statue is mounted on a square plinth with inscriptions. |
| Signatures: | At the top of the bronze base:
Webster |
| Inscription: | “The Cheeky Chappie” Left of bronze base: “There’ll never be another” Right of bronze base: “Listen, listen” Back of bronze base: “What if I am?” |
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Classification
| Categories: | Sculptural, Free Standing, Commemorative |
| Object type1: | Statue |
| Object type2: | Sculpture |
| Subject type1: | Figurative |
| Subject subtype1: | Full-length |
| Subject type2: | Portrait |
| Subject subtype1: | Standing |
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Object Parts
| Part 1: | Pedestal |
| Material: | Limestone facing over concrete |
| Height (cm): | 120 |
| Width (cm): | 78 |
| Depth (cm): | 78 |
| Part 2: | Statue |
| Material: | Bronze, mid and dark brown patination |
| Height (cm): | 276 |
| Width (cm): | 60 |
| Depth (cm): | 60 |
| Part 3: | Base |
| Material: | Limestone facing over concrete |
| Height (cm): | 30 |
| Width (cm): | 110 |
| Depth (cm): | 110 |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Good |
| Risk assessment: | No known risk |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 04/09/2007 |
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History
| History: | Max Miller (21 November 1894, Brighton – 1963)
Britain’s top comedian in the 1930s, 40s, 50s. He starred in London’s West End and in 14 feature films. He became known as ‘the cheeky chappie’. Miller started as a song and dance man on Brighton seafront. His act was risqué and filled with double entendres. He always appeared on stage in a flower-patterned suit, plus fours, correspondent shoes and a trilby. His signature tune became ‘Mary From The Dairy’. Because of the content of his act he was regularly banned from the BBC airwaves. ‘I much prefer a retired bus driver to anybody in show business’. The statue was held in storage during 2007 whilst major works took place in the area. It was resited a short distance from its original position on 8 August 2007 and rededicated on 12 August 2007. |
| Hard archive file: | Yes |
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References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | 'Walk of Fame: Official Guide' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Walk of Fame Ltd. |
| Date: | 00/05/2003 |
| Publisher: | Walk of Fame Ltd. Brighton. |
Further information: | |
| http://www.maxmiller.org/statue3.htm | |
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Photographs
Date: 03/09/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 03/09/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Date: 03/09/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |  Date: 03/09/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
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