Statue of Mary Anning

The Statue of Mary Anning is a bronze sculpture of the paleontologist Mary Anning in Lyme Regis.

Statue of Mary Anning
A bronze statue of Mary Anning. She is walking, holding an ammonite with a basket over one arm and her dog trailing behind.
The statue of Mary Anning
ArtistDenise Dutton
Year21 May 2022 (2022-05-21)
Typebronze
LocationLyme Regis
Coordinates50°43′30.9216″N 2°55′49.4220″W

Inception and campaign
The unveiling of the statue on 21 May 2022

In August 2018, a campaign called "Mary Anning Rocks" was formed by an 11-year-old school girl from Dorset, Evie Swire, supported by her mother Anya Pearson.[1]

The campaign, in promoting a monument to a 19th century women scientist, aimed to highlight the bias in the number of UK statues of men rather than women (more than 85% men).[2] Prior to the erection of Mary's statue in May 2022, there were three other statues to a woman in the Southwest of England; the 2019 statue of Nancy Astor in Plymouth, and the 1888 Statue of Queen Victoria in Bristol and the 1902 Statue of Queen Victoria in Weymouth.[2]

Plans for launching the crowdfunding part of the campaign in May 2020 were placed on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic in England, with the Mary Anning Rocks group selling t-shirts instead.[3] In November 2020 the delayed public crowdfunding campaign was launched to raise the money to commission a statue of Mary Anning for her home town of Lyme Regis.[4]

Patrons and supporters of the campaign include Professor Alice Roberts, Sir David Attenborough and novelist Tracy Chevalier.[5]

The statue

In January 2021 the campaign had raised over £70,000, enough for the sculpture to be produced by sculptor Denise Dutton.[6][7] She produced a maquette of the piece, which was publicly displayed at the Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis on 22 May 2021, Anning's 222nd Birthday.[8]

Planning permission for the statue, at a site overlooking Black Ven (where Mary made many of her discoveries), was lodged in November 2021[9] and granted by Dorset Council in January 2022.[10] The site is at the junction of Long Entry and Gun Cliff Walk in Lyme Regis.

  • Front view
    Front view
  • Detail
    Detail
  • Mary Anning Rocks campaign logo
    Mary Anning Rocks campaign logo
  • Inscription
    Inscription

Unveiling

The statue was publicly unveiled by Evie Swire and Alice Roberts on 21 May 2022, the 223rd anniversary of Anning's birth.[11][12] The event was attended by hundreds of supporters including Tracy Chevalier, Hugh Torrens, Anjana Khatwa, Dean Lomax, and Tori Herridge.[13] The actress Lizzie Hopley performed as Mary Anning.

Maquette tour
Mary Anning Statue maquette in the Yorkshire Museum, July 2023

After the original public display of the maquette it has been on tour around the UK. From May 2022 it has toured museums and geological venues including the Oxford Museum of Natural History, Lapworth Museum of Geology, and Creswell Crags. As of July 2023 it is in the Yorkshire Museum and is due to continue to tour until at least October 2024.[14]

References
  1. "Lyme Regis Mary Anning statue designs released". BBC News. 5 January 2021. Archived from the original on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  2. "Who Is Mary Anning?". Mary Anning Rocks. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  3. Davis, J. (5 May 2020). "Change of plans for Mary Anning's 221st birthday celebrations". Bridport and Lyme Regis News. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  4. "Appeal launched for Mary Anning statue in Lyme Regis". BBC News. 23 November 2020. Archived from the original on 3 January 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  5. Addley, E. (16 December 2019). "Hopes rise for statue of pioneering fossil hunter Mary Anning". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  6. Kative Pavid (21 January 2021). "Work to begin on Mary Anning statue for Lyme Regis". Natural History Museum. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  7. "The sculptor bringing Dorset palaeontologist Mary Anning to life | Art UK". artuk.org. Retrieved 2022-06-02.
  8. "Small scale Mary Anning statue unveiled in Lyme Regis". Bridport & Lyme Regis News. 4 June 2021. Archived from the original on 4 June 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  9. "Mary Anning: Planning application lodged for Lyme Regis statue". BBC News. 24 November 2021. Archived from the original on 29 January 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  10. "Planning permission granted for 'long overdue' statue of fossil hunter Mary Anning". Bridport & Lyme Regis News. 3 January 2022. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2021.
  11. "Mary Anning: Lyme Regis statue of fossil-hunting pioneer approved". BBC News. 1 January 2022. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
  12. "Statue of fossil-hunting pioneer Mary Anning to be unveiled in Dorset". The Guardian. 21 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  13. "WATCH: Hundreds attend unveiling of Mary Anning statue in Lyme Regis". LymeOnline. 23 May 2022. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  14. "Mary Anning Maquette goes on Tour!". Geologists' Association. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
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