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 Captain Mainwaring - Thetford, Norfolk Posted by:  SMacB
N 52° 24.821 E 000° 44.760
31U E 346701 N 5809440
A sculpture of Captain Mainwaring from the TV series Dad's Army. It has been designed so that one can sit next to him and have one's photo taken.
Waymark Code: WMWDKA
Location: Eastern England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/20/2017
Views: 5
"In June 2010, a statue of Captain Mainwaring by sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn was erected in the Norfolk town of Thetford, where most of the TV series Dad's Army was filmed. The statue shows Captain Mainwaring sitting upright on a simple bench in Home Guard uniform, with his swagger stick across his knees. The statue is mounted at the end of a winding brick pathway with a Union Flag patterned arrowhead to reflect the opening credits of the TV series and the sculpture has been designed so that one can sit next to Captain Mainwaring and have one's photo taken."
SOURCE - (Visit Link)
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Inscriptions |
Inscriptions: Statue: On badge Home Guard; On sleeve CP 1 Bench ‘made and donated by Bajco, Breckland Architectural Joinery. |
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Description (physical)
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The statue is shown seated on an elegant wooden bench, with his back to the river. It is set in a small lawn framed by bricks with a brick arrow winding through it, and a Union Jack under the seat. The care taken in the details of the costume, his cap, glasses, belt, gloves, folds in the sleeves, gaiters and laces on the boots cannot overcome the difficulty of animating the statue. In spite of this David Croft, who wrote the 78 episodes of the famous BBC sitcom Dad’s Army with Jimmy Perry, said he thought the statue was “absolutely marvelous” and was a “frightening” likeness of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard captain, played by Arthur Lowe. |
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Description (iconographical)
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The series was based on the comic misadventures of the Home Guards of fictional Walmington on sea, under the command of the pompous bank manager George Mainwaring. The site was chosen since the first episode, broadcast in 1968, had been filmed in the Norvic room of the nearby Anchor Hotel (now awaiting demolition), and during the subsequent filming the cast and crew stayed at the Bell Hotel, just behind the statue on the opposite side of the River Thet. The series still remains one of the most repeated on British television. The unveiling of the statue followed a three year campaign and fundraising based on an initial design by local artist John Mayes by members of the Dad's Army Museum in Thetford to mark the years the sitcom was filmed in the town between 1968 and 1977. The final lay-out was designed by the sculptor Sean Hedges-Quinn. The statue was briefly removed in August 2016 as work on the new Thetford Riverside site continued, but returned later that year. The changes had an unfortunate effect on the display of the statue. Landscaping lowered the whole of new garden, as well as introducing steps and a railing behind Captain Mainwaring. Where before his head and shoulders rose above the brick wall of the flower bed besides the bridge, and also could be seen against the arch of the bridge, he is now diminished by the new background, designed by the architects responsible for Thetford Riverside, LSI architects LLP. |
SOURCE - (Visit Link)
Yes, my shadow in the photo looks like I am saluting using the wrong hand. That possibly explains the Captain's expression......'Stupid Boy!'
Location description: Small garden off Bridge Street, Thetford.
Statue's Subject: Captain Mainwaring
Artist: Sean Hedges-Quinn
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Visit Instructions:
Photo of the statue with person sitting on bench next to the statue, standing next to the statue or other-wise interacting appropriately with the statue(face of person does not need to show, gps does not need to be in photo).
Extra credit for having fun!!!
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