Icons

In happier times, in the 1970s, Birmingham City Council*, comissioned a 6 metre high statue of King Kong as part of a city 'sculpture project' initiative - it was sponsored by tobacco money and placed in what were then public gardens beside the old 'Bull Ring' shopping centre - Birmingham's signature destination in those days. Although it was only there for 6 months, the stature seems to have acquired a somewhat legendary, nostalgic status within the city - I think everyone had a photo of their children or grandchildren between its legs

When the sponsorship ran out, the city sold the statue to one Michael Shanley who, somewhat incredibly, ran a car dealership (the iconic Birmingham business) called 'the King Kong Kar Ko'. After 4 years, he sold it on to someone called Nigel Maby, who ran a market near Edinburgh (the report I have read says 'Inglestone', but I think it was actually Ingliston, near the Forth bridge). It stood there for 30 years until the market closed and it disappeared from history. Many years later a Birmingham newspaper discovered that Nigel and his wife had retired to Penrith, Cumbria, taken the statue with them, painted it pink, and re-erected it at their home. By the time this came to light, Nigel had died and the statue was on its back, corroding quietly in a Penrith car park

Birmingham, however, had not forgotten its gorilla. A replica of the original was commissioned for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the city - which may or may not have contributed to the Council's financial woes (but certainly less so than the exorbitant cost of Oracle software). And this 2015 sculpture is a conscious reference to the original, and is now a Tripadvisor destination in its own right. One tonne of polycarbonate sitting on the roof of a flooring business in the high street - I think for no reason except that the entrepreneurial owner thought it would get attention - and he was right. The owner is called 'Mohammed Khan', which itself feels like an hopeful icon of modern Birmingham

This is a ridiculous photo, of course - in the dark, polluted by city lights, a black gorilla against a dark sky! Never mind, it has some kind of aura. We have had a long hot day painting walls, skirting boards and door frames (and not taking pictures), followed by an evening treat at a city restaurant. It's been hard work but, when your children teach you so much, it's nice to pay something back

*For anyone who does not know, the Council declared itself bankrupt this week