February 22, 2021 11.23 am This story is over 37 months old

Artist puts up alternative Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham to ‘save council £400k’

A head on a stick with a handbag
Mark's own Thatcher statue depicts the Iron Lady with her head cut off and placed on a spike. | Photo: MarkRobla
By Local Democracy Reporter

An artist from Grantham said he is “saving the council £400,000” by designing and displaying his own Margaret Thatcher statue in the town centre.

MarkRobla, a 34-year-old sculpture and street artist from Grantham, depicts the Iron Lady’s head stuck on a spike made from office chairs.

It stands at 5’3 and was erected onto the 10ft plinth, located on St. Peter’s Hill, that has been designed for South Kesteven District Council’s bronze statue of Thatcher.

The homemade statue currently stands on the 10ft plinth designed for the council’s unveiling. | Photo: MarkRobla

He put his statue in place at the green at 4am on Sunday, February 21, wearing a hi-vis jacket “just in case” someone asked what he was up to.

It took Mark around four months to complete, costing just £100 compared to the £300,000 spent on the original bronze statue from a public fundraiser.

Mark said that he has “saved the council £400,000 by displaying my new piece”, after council leadership outlined their £100,000 plans for unveiling the statue in Grantham town centre.

Mark’s design is made up completely of office chairs and plaster. | Photo: MarkRobla

The £300,000 statue has been a topic of debate and controversy in the town, ever since it was announced back in 2019.

Over 14,000 people on Facebook registered their interest in an egg-throwing contest at the statue for once it was unveiled.

The statue of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher that will be placed in Grantham, her birth town.

Mark told The Lincolnite that the response to his homemade sculpture has been mixed, but generally positive.

He said: “The response has been great, but there have been a few negative comments.

“I am surprised people are still behind the statue, but the fact my design has been a topic of conversation across the whole country is cool.”

Mark added: “A lot of people don’t think it looks like her, some have said it looks more like Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen.

“It is supposed to depict what she would look like after her head had been cut off.”

The statue also has a handbag at the bottom, a memorable accessory for the former Prime Minister.

At the time of reporting, the statue is still in place on the plinth, though Mark is hoping it doesn’t “get struck by lightning or something” in the meantime.