A ceremony will be held outside
Leamington Spa Fire Station on Thursday 26 November 1998 at 12.15pm unveiling a specially
commissioned sculpture to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the creation of a
County Fire Service in Warwickshire.
The unveiling will be conducted by the Chairmen of Warwickshire County Council,
Councillor Ray Sweet. The sculpture will be dedicated by the Reverend James Wilson of
Quinton.
The Fire Service in Warwickshire was established after the Second World War in 1948 and
to mark this occasion a modern sculpture created by artist Richard Perry dedicated to all
those people that have lost their lives in Warwickshire due to fire has been erected
outside the Fire Station and County Headquarters at Leamington Spa.
In addition to the sculpture, the gardens have been redesigned and then landscaped by
local gardener, Michael Twite from Wellesbourne, to allow disabled access to the building
and create a sympathetic environment for the sculpture.
The sculpture itself is carved out of 1 tonne of white Italian marble and stands
approximately 7 feet high and forms a striking monument at the corner of Dale Street and
Warwick Street, Leamington Spa.
Application was made for a National Lottery grant who approached the Arts Council of
England regarding the project.
A grant of £37,000 was forthcoming for the £50,000 project with the remainder of the
money provided by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service, mainly from sponsorship.
We are actually looking for further sponsorship for this project and we have a limited
edition framed print commemorating fifty years of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service for
sale. The print is limited to 200 copies and is available while stocks last at £55.00
each. Further details can be obtained from the Press Office.
