Newark Town Council agreed to allow Kiddey Stones, sculpted by former Newark teacher Robert Kiddey, to be displayed in front of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Castle House
Historic stone sculptures by a famous Newark artist, previously part of the Wilford Power Station, are to be installed on a prominent town building.
The Kiddey Stones, sculpted by former Newark teacher Robert Kiddey, were gifted to the town in the Eighties prior to the demolition of the power station.
Newark and Sherwood District Council approached the Newark Town Council asking to relocate the stones to the front of Castle House, near the main entrance of the council building.
The proposal would be to pin the four separate tables and erect them as free standing monolithic art installations.
Rowan Cozens, the district council’s cabinet member for heritage, culture and the arts, said: “Kiddey is such an important local artist, that this would seem an entirely appropriate site, there are Kiddey stones on the Council House in Nottingham and he has work similarly sited in other prestigious local buildings.
“It would also be a flagship opening project to create an art and artefacts trail around Newark. This would be likely to achieve good footfall from visitors to Castle House and from the adjacent station.
“They would be seen and appreciated by people.”
The stones had previously been earmarked for inclusion in the Middlebeck development as a piece of public art, however, it is not planned until a later phase of the development.
The Town Hall Museum and Art Gallery houses many of Robert Kiddey’s artworks. His work can also be seen at the entrance of Newark College.
Town and district councillor Paul Taylor said: “It is about using them and also it is about promoting the town council’s involvement in them with a plaque. It is also steering people who do see them, to come to the museum here and see the artwork by the same artist and it is about a strategy to promote public art.”
It was suggested to move the stones to a location in the town centre such as Newark Church or Market Place.
A town councillor, David Moore, who has experience with art and sculpture raised concerns that putting the stones in any of the buildings would take a lot of engineering work that could destroy the stones.
The stones were initially built into a wall when they were part of the power station and they would again need to be built into brickwork or pinned together or attached to a wall.
Lisa Geary said: “Given they haven’t been used in 40 years, they are not going to be placed in the church or anywhere else in the town, otherwise that would have already been done, it is a shame they weren’t or that nobody thought about it.
“The Castle House area has been quite an industrial area including the cattle market and lorry park and I think they might do well in there, I am in favour of the District Council investigating sitting them there.”
Newark town councillors agreed that both councils, town and district want to promote the town and attract visitors.
It was agreed that Newark Town Council in principle is prepared to lend the Kiddey Stones to District Council to be displayed outside Castle House.
It was required that all costs be borne by the district council and councillors want further information on the security, interpretation board, funding and cost of the stones' maintenance.
Robert Kiddey (1900-1984) was a well-known local figure who gained national acclaim for his sculptures while also influencing many hundreds of pupils through his years of teaching.
He was born in Nottingham, and moved to Newark in 1931 to join the staff of the newly-opened Newark Technical College. He also taught at the Magnus School.
