Statue of Steve Ovett
| Browse information by: Location Makers General Information Classification Object Parts Object Condition History References Photographs |  Author: Peter Webster Copyright for Photograph: Peter Webster |
Location
| Street: | Preston Road |
| Town: | Brighton |
| Parish: | Brighton |
| Council: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| County: | East Sussex |
| Postcode: | BN1 |
| Location on Google Map | |
| Object setting: | Public Park |
| Access is: | Public |
| Location note: | Perimeter of Preston Park just outside the Rose Garden |
| In the AZ book: | East Sussex |
| Page: | 162 |
| Grid reference: | D1 |
| 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. | |
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Makers
| Name : | Peter Webster |
| Role: | Sculptor |
| Company/Group : | The Morris Singer Company Ltd. |
| Role: | Foundry |
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General Information
| Commissioned by: | Brighton and Hove City Council |
| Commissioned also by: | Private sponsors |
| Construction period: | 10/02/1983 - 12/02/1987 |
| Installation date: | 27/05/1987 |
| Unveiling date: | 31/05/1987 |
| Work is: | Lost |
| Owner custodian: | Brighton & Hove City Council |
| Object listing: | Not listed |
| Description: | Life sized bronze depicting Brighton born Olympic athlete Steve Ovett in the running position. Modelled in clay from original photographic and video references and cast in bronze using the lost wax method. |
| Signatures: | Back of bronze base:
Webster |
| Inscription: | Steve Ovett |
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Classification
| Categories: | Free Standing, Sculptural |
| 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: | Figure |
| Material: | Bronze, mid brown patination |
| Height (cm): | 230 |
| Part 2: | Plinth |
| Material: | Concrete |
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Object Condition
| Overall condition: | Poor |
| Condition 1 of type: | Vandalism |
| Condition 1: | Structural damage |
| More details: | The sculpture was vandalised and broken at the ankle six weeks after its unveiling but was quickly restored. It was stolen and broken up into pieces during the weekend of 2/3 September 2007. |
| Condition 2 of type: | Surface |
| Condition 1: | Bird Guano |
| More details: | Verde Gris colouring from oxidisation and Bird Guano |
| Date of on-site inspection: | 30/09/2007 |
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History
| History: | At the time, it was the most expensive public sculpture in Brighton, costing private sponsors £25,000.
Steve Ovett (9 October 1955, Brighton - ) Cross-country National Junior Champion in 1975, European Junior Champion over 800 metres in 1973 and gained his first major title winning the 800 metres at the European Championships. He competed in three Olympic Games and won the 800 metre in Moscow 1980. He was also the mile world record holder many times. The statue was sawn off at the foot and stolen during the weekend of 2 - 3 September 2007. It was broken up into pieces by the thieves in an attempt to melt it down for scrap. 'Sculptor Peter Webster, of Preston Circus, Brighton, who made the lifesize statue 20 years ago, said the find confirmed his fears it had been stolen by scrap metal thieves. He said: ''It's nice to get part of it back but it would be nice to get the whole thing back too. Obviously, they've cut it up to try to melt it in smaller amounts rather than in a big furnace. It's got to melt at about 1,000 degrees and they've got to get it to somebody who's got that facility. Maybe they found out people don't want to get involved, which is nice to hear. ''I'm disappointed it's happened and I would hope it could be returned in some form. If it comes back we could do moulds and remake it. But if it doesn't, it would be impossible to replace as there is no mould. It's a unique one-off for Brighton. ''It's been there for 20 years, and it's been a landmark. It's something people have grown up with. For some people it's been there all their life and it celebrates somebody who got a big name for Brighton when it wasn't getting the publicity it needed at the time.'' Brighton tourism official Tony Hewison commissioned Mr Webster to begin the statue in 1983 and the artist worked solidly for four years to complete it. Sadly, Mr Hewison died before it could be unveiled at the park where Brighton-born Ovett trained. Mr Webster said: ''I was teaching full time at Cardinal Newman school so I spent evenings and weekends making it. ''At the time it was the first sculpture in Brighton for a while. It was probably the first bronze since the Victoria and Peace statues. ''The park was where he trained. On a number of occasions I was walking to school to teach and Steve would run past and we would cross paths. He was a sporting hero of mine and a hero as a person because of what he did for charity and supporting other people.'' Mr Webster estimated the cost of reproducing the statue would be about £30,000.' (The Argus, Brighton. 'Leg link to statue thief'. Wednesday 5 September 2007) |
| Hard archive file: | Yes |
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References
| Source 1 : | |
| Title: | The Argus, Brighton |
| Type: | Newspaper |
| Date: | 04/09/2007 |
| Source 2 : | |
| Title: | 'Walk of Fame: Official Guide' |
| Type: | Book |
| Author: | Walk of Fame Ltd. |
| Date: | 00/05/2003 |
| Publisher: | Walk of Fame Ltd. Brighton. |
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Photographs
Author: Peter Webster Copyright: Peter Webster |  Date: 30/09/2007 Author: Anthony McIntosh Copyright: Creative Commons |
 Author: Peter Webster Copyright: Peter Webster |  Author: Peter Webster Copyright: Peter Webster |
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