The statue of Margaret Thatcher standing in her birthplace, the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, England. The statue is 10 feet 6 inches high, cast in bronze, and depicts the late British prime minister Baroness Thatcher, dressed in the full ceremonial robes of the House of Lords. The statue has been vandalised but is pictured without damage.
A proposal to erect the statue in Grantham was made in 2018 by the Grantham Community Heritage Association (GCHA), which runs the Grantham Museum, and approval was given in February 2019 by South Kesteven District Council. Funding was provided through a local appeal and contributions from a charity, the Public Memorials Appeal.[9][10][11] On 15 May 2022, the statue was installed on St Peter's Hill Green in Grantham, close to the Museum, but was attacked with eggs within two hours of its unveiling. Jeremy Webster, deputy director of the Attenborough Arts Centre at the University of Leicester, was alleged to have thrown the eggs. The university stated that it did not condone the action and would address the allegations in line with its procedures.[12] A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said they had received reports of criminal damage, but there were no arrests.[2] On 26 May, it was reported that Webster had been given a fixed penalty of £90 under Section 5 of the Public Order Act.[13] On 28 May 2022, the statue was splattered with red paint, and a hammer and sickle was painted on the surrounding fence. Lincolnshire Police stated the attack was being investigated.[4] The statue was formally unveiled by the Mayor of Grantham, Graham Jeal, on 31 May. He said: "Mrs Thatcher was this country's first female prime minister. She was the first prime minister to have a science degree, and she was also the longest serving prime minister of the 20th century. While we may not agree on everything, we must agree on these facts, and these are three facts that can never be taken away." A crowd of about 30 people, along with a bagpiper, attended the unveiling, together with several protesters.[4] In October 2022, the statue was vandalised for a third time when it was daubed with the words "Tories out", despite it being under CCTV surveillance.[14] Pictures which subsequently circulated online, showing a dildo on top of the statue's head, proved to be fake.[15]
Size: 4000px × 6000px
Location: Grantham, Lincolnshire, England, UK
Photo credit: © David Warren / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: baroness, ceremonial, grantham, green, margaret, peters, robes, st, statue, thatcher, unvandalised
