Statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II unveiled in Staffordshire

A statue of the late Queen Elizabeth II has been unveiled in Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire following it's 850th anniversary last year.

It was commissioned in 2023 by Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council.

The statue's design is based on pictures of the Queen during her visit to the town in 1973.

She visited the area for its 800th anniversary celebrations.

The man behind it said he wanted to capture the happiness the Queen had brought with her to the town.

It was unveiled on Friday (October 11th) at Queen's Gardens in the town, and stands almost at ground level so people can pose for photographs with it.

The local sculptor Andy Edwards has a series of acclaimed works behind him, including the famous Beatles statue at Pier Head, Liverpool.

He said: "Bronze casting is a complex and highly dangerous process. Pouring metal over 200 degrees, an incredible amount of skilled people, mould makers, precision engineers, you can't see a wellding mark on it and everybody has treated it as a labour of love as I have.

"It is lovely to be part of a team that works that way."

The council hopes the statue will continue to get a lot of attention for the next 850 years.

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