Duck, or grouse?

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From Machinery Market

A row has broken out over a statue of Sir Nigel Gresley ^ due to be unveiled at King^s Cross railway station on 5 April, to mark the 75th anniversary of the death of the man who designed the Mallard and Flying Scotsman locomotives.

At the heart of the row is the decision by the Gresley Society to drop its commitment for the statue^s original design to include a mallard at Sir Nigel^s feet.

When applying for planning permission, it stated: "This duck is no mere whimsy. It is an allusion to Sir Nigel^s most famous locomotive ^ and to his habit of feeding mallards at his pre-war home."

The change of mind is said to be because two of the engineer^s grandsons complained that the mallard was "demeaning", but it led to three people leaving the society and caused a stir on social media. Supporters of the duck argued its addition to the statue would "pique the curiosity of passers-by and encourage them to learn more about Gresley ^ and engineering in general".

[Oxonhutch]

Personally, I am pro-duck.  I thought the original idea a good one and that those who commissioned the statue should hold sway in the matter.

[John R]

Pro-duck all the way.

[JayMac]

Why a duck? "Mallard" was but one name applied to one engine in one class.

More appropriate would have been a scale model of one of Sir Nigel's creations. Perhaps 4472. Or 4498.

I agree with the relatives. A bit demeaning to have a duck at his feet.

[TaplowGreen]

It sounds to me like they're ducking the issue.

[John R]

Why a duck? "Mallard" was but one name applied to one engine in one class.

More appropriate would have been a scale model of one of Sir Nigel's creations. Perhaps 4472. Or 4498.

I agree with the relatives. A bit demeaning to have a duck at his feet.

He bred birds and ducks in his moat.  (Which is probably why Mallard was so named.)  So not inappropriate at all, and indeed I suspect he might have approved.

[PhilWakely]

Many, but not all A4 Pacifics were named after birds, some renamed after famous people and others named after areas of the British Empire - see here for a definitive list of names.

It just so happens that Mallard is probably the most famous. I can see both sides of the argument (and that fence is rather sharp!)

[JayMac]

But what was the statue commissioned for? His celebrated locomotive designs or his little known interest in waterfowl?

[patch38]

If London one day gets a statue of Ken Livingston, will it have a newt on it? 

[TeaStew]

More demeaning would be a duck on his head, luckily being inside the statue should avoid being an expensive perch.

Seems academic now but my view is that I cannot see what is demeaning about having a duck there. I think it has missed an opportunity in that it might have drawn attention and interest from younger folk who will ask "why?" - that is pretty important. The story about design and ultimately record breaking engineering may inspire them in a similar way to what the Bloodhound project is trying to do at the moment.  The alternative is another bloke on a plinth, a nice celebration maybe but in my opinion less inspiring.

A scale model A4 might work as it is pretty distinctive - but then maybe a bit demeaning to have a model train at the chap's feet 

[Tim]

But what was the statue commissioned for? His celebrated locomotive designs or his little known interest in waterfowl?

It is to celebrate his locomotive designs, but using a duck is IMHO^▸ (in my humble opinion) a rather neat and intriguing way to include a reference to his most celebrated locomotive without the crashing literalism of putting (what will look like) a model train at his feet. 

[Puffing Billy]

They originally asked for Bittern rather than Mallard, but the bill was too big

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Edinburgh Evening News:

Sir Nigel Gresley statue ruffles Mallard fans^ feathers

He was the locomotive designer behind one of the most famous trains ever created.

And now, Edinburgh-born Sir Nigel Gresley has been honoured with a statue at one of the UK^▸ (United Kingdom)^s biggest train stations ^ but not without ruffling a few feathers in the process.


Sculptor Hazel Reeves stands next to her statue of the railway engineer, Sir Nigel Gresley, with his grandson Tim Godfrey. Picture: Clive Gee/PA^▸ (Public Address) Wire

The bronze sculpture was originally due to feature a duck next to the eminent engineer because he designed the Mallard locomotive.

But the bird was missing when the statue was unveiled on the 75th anniversary of Sir Nigel^s death at King^s Cross in London yesterday, because his family, and others, were not keen on its inclusion.

More than 3200 people signed a petition which called for the duck to be reinstated, claiming it would spark interest in the engineer^s achievements. And a hardy band of protesters even gathered at the station, holding aloft rubber ducks on sticks to make their point.

Around 200 people were on the concourse at King^s Cross to catch a first glimpse of the finished sculpture, which was unveiled by members of the Gresley family and Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy.

John Cameron, president of the Gresley Society, told the crowd: ^There has been what I might call a lively debate about the statue design and the proposal to include a mallard duck to emphasise Sir Nigel^s link with the locomotive of that name. However, the Gresley Society trustees decided not to include such a feature. I do realise there may be some who still have different views on the matter. But today is all about honouring the memory of Sir Nigel Gresley and his various achievements.^


A wooden duck next to a statue of railway engineer Sir Nigel Gresley at King's Cross railway station, London. Picture: Clive Gee/PA Wire

Born in Dublin Street in the New Town in 1876, Sir Nigel became chief mechanical engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway.

His Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to exceed 100mph in service, while the Mallard achieved a then world-record speed of 126mph in 1938.

Sir Nigel was knighted for his career achievements in 1936. He died at home unexpectedly on April 5, 1941 at the age of 64.

The statue shows him holding a copy of The Locomotive magazine, which carries a 
description of Mallard.

In a speech to mark its unveiling, Sir Peter said: ^This marvellous sculpture commemorates a man who looked relentlessly forward in his day to more powerful locomotives, faster locomotives and the world steam speed record with Mallard. We^re proud to have Sir Nigel on our station as a commemoration to a great railway mechanical engineer who pushed the technical boundaries of the steam locomotive further than anyone else.^

Sculptor Hazel Reeves said her work shows Sir Nigel ^in a moment of quizzical reflection^. She added: ^He^s looking out towards the future.^

A memorial plaque to Sir Nigel was unveiled at Waverley station in 2001.

[SandTEngineer]

I wonder how many times he will be asked for the time of the next fast train to Edinburgh........

[ellendune]

His Flying Scotsman was the first steam locomotive to exceed 100mph in service,

Where does that leave City of Truro?