Diamond Jubilee Bronze unveiled by HRH the Earl of Wessex
Wednesday, 30 January 2013
Issued on behalf of The Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan DCVO JP
Visitors to the Great Hall in Winchester can now see an impressive six foot diameter bronze depicting Her Majesty The Queen. The circular bronze, specially commissioned in honour of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, was unveiled in Winchester on Tuesday 29 January by His Royal Highness The Earl of Wessex. He also met groups and individuals from across Hampshire who took part in commemorating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee over the course of the year.
The Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Dame Mary Fagan DCVO JP, commissioned the bronze from Vivien Mallock, a well known national sculptor who lives in Hampshire. Dame Mary explained it was for future generations to enjoy:
"The Diamond Jubilee was celebrated widely across Hampshire through a variety of events and was enormously successful at bringing together people of all ages. I also wanted Hampshire to have something tangible to mark Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee and commissioned Vivien Mallock to create a bronze bas-relief of The Queen's face framed by the Hampshire Rose.
"The public response was tremendous and I am particularly grateful for the support I received from the Leader and Members of Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council.
"I am thrilled with the bronze. Vivien really has created something very special and it will be a lasting tribute to The Queen's Diamond Jubilee."
The bas-relief portrait projects approximately nine inches from the background and shows The Queen wearing a necklace and diamond tiara. The commissioning of the bronze echoes the previous 1983 addition to the Great Hall when the famous Royal Wedding Gates were commissioned for the wedding of The Prince and Princess of Wales.
The Leader of Hampshire County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber said this was a very special day:
"The bronze is a lasting tribute to Her Majesty the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee Year and is a measure of the high esteem in which she is held by the people and organisations in Hampshire. Schoolchildren and parish councils across the county planted oak sapling trees to mark 60 years of The Queen's reign and a further 60,000 trees were planted in three new areas of Diamond Jubilee woodland that we created in the North of Hampshire and at Manor Farm and Country Park near Botley. I am particularly proud that Her Majesty's likeness now adorns the south wall of our historic Great Hall. It is a huge honour, and is a great privilege to be able to display this bronze publically alongside the Round Table, for future generations to enjoy."
With an impressive portfolio of work to date, Vivien Mallock has completed a number of public sculptures in Hampshire. There are three in Portsmouth: Field Marshal Montgomery and the Soldier of WWII outside the D Day Museum in Southsea and the Golden Jubilee sculpture unveiled by HM The Queen at Gunwharf Quays.
The bronze has been paid for largely through public subscription with donations from many groups and individuals across the county, together with support from Hampshire County Council and Winchester City Council
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