Laurel’s statue finally takes up residence

12:07pm Thursday 21st August 2008

IT has survived natural disasters and travelled thousands of miles but a statue of Stan Laurel is finally standing in his home town.

A bronze figure of the comic legend was installed in Bishop Auckland town centre on Sunday.

Commissioned by Wear Valley District Council and Bishop Auckland Town Centre Forum, Tyneside sculptor Bob Olley travelled to China to supervise the casting of the statue.

Its arrival in the region was then stalled by an earthquake in China followed by a typoon before it was shipped 11,500 miles from Asia to England.

Mr Olley said: "To say it has been one of my most interesting commissions would be a bit of an understatement, however I am very pleased with the finished article and hope that Stan is enjoyed by the people of Bishop Auckland and its visitors."

The actor and comedian, who rose to fame with partner Oliver Hardy in the Twenties, lived and went to school in the town.

The statue is the centrepiece of a recently landscaped area called Theatre Corner where his father, Arthur Jefferson, ran the Eden Theatre 100 years ago.

Bob Hope, the council's strategic director for environment and regeneration, said: "There has been a long standing desire to create a link to the former Eden Theatre and I am pleased Stan has finally arrived."

Barbara Laurie, chairwoman of the town centre forum, added: "It is wonderful that Bishop Auckland has a statue of its own, its a fine tribute to one its most famous sons.

"We ought to have ambitions to be a town with a sense of pride and that involves statues like this to make it look good and celebrate our history."

Graham Harrison, an 87- year-old resident of Bishopsgate Lodge Care Home, watched it being installed.

"I came out early to see it go in, I think it's long overdue.

"I used to live in Tow Law then Toronto and as a young man used to come to the theatre that stood on this corner, sometimes to see Laurel and Hardy films.

"For years we've just had a plaque on the wall to mark the links with Stan Laurel that we should be celebrating. This should have been done ages ago," he said.

A formal unveiling and celebration event will be held on Saturday, August 30.