Achi news desk-
Ray Lonsdale’s statue of Tommy, in Seaham had a profound effect on me. Tommy, or using its real title, “One Minute Past Eleven” depicts a weary First World War soldier slumped and staring ahead.
Tommy represents how many soldiers felt when the war ended – we had ‘won’, but at what cost? Ray’s transformation from a lump of steel into such an emotional figure has made a lasting impression on me personally. As a former steel worker, I know how much skill is involved in creating such a figure. It has also led me to wonder why Consett, a town built on steel, does not have such a figurine? Why don’t we have a suitable symbol of the years of labor in ‘The Works’?
Industrial Heritage Commemorations
‘The Hollowed Ground’, is a new film about the history of the Durham coal mines. It covers the first pits up to The Miner’s Strikes, and the closing of all the Durham mines. It is an interesting film depicting how entire communities were destroyed with the closure of the coal mines. Some have improved, some have not. What struck me at the end of the film was how some small mining communities have commemorated their mining heritage with various statues. Ray Lonsdale’s work appears in quite a few of them. Again, it got me thinking Why can’t Consett have something similar?
Community Commitment
For this project to succeed, I would need help, but was anyone else interested? I posted on a couple of Consett related groups on Facebook and contacted all the Consett Councillors. The Councilors were extremely positive and agreed to help where they could. The various groups on Facebook were also very encouraging, and several offers of help were made. Fortunately, Christine Thomas from CIO Building Self-belief offered her help. She has campaigned before and has a lot of information she was willing to share in relation to applying for grants and other ways of raising money. As a charity, Building Self-Belief have been working on the Consett Heritage Project and have extensive knowledge of the history of the steelworks – and the impact the closure has had – and continues to have – on the town .
Action
I decided to take action – time for Consett to have a real representation of its industrial heritage – something to be proud of! I contacted Ray and asked how much money I would need to raise to buy a statue. ‘Shy Bairn’s get nowt’ – time to make my dream come true! To my delight, Ray is very interested in creating a piece of work representing Consett Steelworkers. What a lovely guy, we chatted and he explained the process of creating his work and how they are designed and built.
More than just a Sculpture
It quickly became clear that there was more to this than just buying the statue. Where is it going to be located? Who is going to host it? What will it look like? How do we raise the money? In my own head I began to picture what this sculpture might look like. I envisioned a man wearing a helmet and goggles next to a vessel pouring molten steel. We shared many ideas – but we soon realized that the best person to talk to was Ray Lonsdale himself. Christine and I made an appointment to visit Ray at his workshop in Hetton.
The Two Red Rubber Bands Workshop
Ray took us around the workshop and we saw some of his current projects and discussed ideas for what could be done for Consett. I showed Ray a picture of the Steelworker next to molten steel and he asked ‘Was he the only one working there?’ No – it wasn’t. Steel was produced by the contribution of thousands of people at the Consett Steelworks. Blast furnace, train drivers, bricklayers – there were so many trades and roles. Also, the picture I showed Ray was of a steel worker wearing a mask and goggles. You couldn’t see what expression he had on his face, and as Ray said, with the need for PPE equipment, it’s hard to tell tradesmen apart. Ray’s work is about emotion, and his advice is that historical figures work much better, because we get to see their expressions.
Great Example
Ray showed us the work he has done for Sunderland shipyards. They faced a similar issue to Consett, ie who built the ship? Ray’s solution is great. Sculpture depicting two guys sitting on a bench looking along the river Dressed in 1940’s clothing, eating their bait. Their expressions show them reminiscing about the past but hopeful about the future.
My Dream for Consett
Wouldn’t something similar be appropriate for Consett? Wouldn’t it be great if we could work together as a community and raise the money and have Ray create a great sculpture to represent the history and spirit of Consett Steel?
