Political opinion: Cllr Michael Jones - Crawley’s 'Boy with Dolphin' is back on public view

The boy with sturgeon statue in its new home at the walled garden in Tilgate Park, unveiled by the Mayor and with the councillors who arranged its restoration to public view, Cllrs Michael Jones and Cllrs Sue and Chris Mullins.

placeholder image — The boy with sturgeon statue in its new home at the walled garden in Tilgate Park, unveiled by the Mayor and with the councillors who arranged its restoration to public view, Cllrs Michael Jones and Cllrs Sue and Chris Mullins.

This weekend, I was delighted to join the Mayor and many other borough councillors, at the official unveiling by the Mayor of Crawley of the Boy and Sturgeon statue at his new home within Tilgate Park’s Walled Garden, in the pond.

Fondly known by many as ‘The Boy and the Dolphin’, the statue was a landmark in Queens Square, which has given longer standing residents of the New Town a great deal of joy since the 1950s. He has been on quite a journey over the years, before finding his new public home most recently.

I know that the Boy and Sturgeon statue holds a special place in Crawley’s history and hearts and it was an exceptional pleasure to see him and his aquatic friend take pride of place in the Walled Garden. We’re proud to preserve this piece of our town’s heritage and give it the visibility it deserves. It’s definitely worth making a visit. This is a sculpture of some beauty and artistic merit, still in remarkably excellent condition and a feast for the eyes!

The parks team at Crawley Borough Council also deserve thanks for this major project which has cleared a substantial area of the garden, bringing it back into regular usage with a beautiful new fence around the pond as well.

Members of Crawley Borough Council's Cabinet being shown some of the restoration works recently undertaken on Goffs Park House, a beloved heritage building in Crawley.

An interesting aspect of this, is that for something so well loved, it has been difficult to find any sources for the statue’s provenance. In my searches, I could not track down records of its artist, its origins or when it was constructed. If any well informed readers could shed any light, I think we would all be fascinated to learn more.

Crawley Borough Council is committed to preserving and enhancing Crawley’s heritage, recently over a quarter of a million pounds has been invested in important restoration works at Goffs Park House to bring it back to its former glory.

In the spring, following planning permission being granted, we will see the restoration and repair works begin that will see the Ancient Priors on the High Street being maintained to standards that will help ensure it lasts many more centuries to come. In addition to this, the council will soon be revealing exciting news on other parts of our borough’s heritage where plans are underway to ensure they too get the love and attention they deserve.