Wimbledon Stag Sculpture To Be Unveiled

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Destination Wimbledon project comes to an end

A new sculpture of a stag to be unveiled on Wimbledon station forecourt later this month marks the end of the £2.5 million town centre improvement scheme.

The steel stag sculpture is a reference to Wimbledon's Iron Age history, and will stand outside the station as if it had wandered down the hill, reminding passers-by of the town's heritage and its relationship with the Common.

It will be inveiled by Council Leader Stephen Alambritis at 3.30pm on Thursday June 21, at an event which starts with dance performances at 3pm.

The Stag sculpture is part of the 'Destination Wimbledon' project, which has been funded by Merton Council in partnership with Network Rail, South West Trains and Transport for London (TfL) to give the town centre a facelift.

Aside from improvements to the station forecourt, further town centre measures have included the reconfiguration of the junction of Wimbledon Bridge with Alexandra Road to enable a diagonal pedestrian crossing, new paving, tree planting and the installation of new street furniture.

The Stag sculpture, which measures 3m high, was selected in consultation with residents and was created by local artist Isabelle Southwood. It has been paid for by a developer as part of an arts fund for the area.

Isabelle Southwood (pictured left working on the stag) said: "As a child growing up in Wimbledon, my memories were not of tennis or Wombles, but of the local landscape. In particular the grand mysterious stag that sits upon Stag Lodge in Wimbledon village".

Cabinet member for environmental sustainability and regeneration, Councillor Andrew Judge, said: "Many improvements have been made to Wimbledon town centre to make it a destination town where people want to live and work.  We welcome the chance to support a local artist with a piece of contemporary sculpture which will bring even more character to our beautiful town centre."

The unveiling will include speeches by Paul Windsor, Wimbledon Business Forum; Leigh Terrafranca, Wimbledon resident; Councillor Alambritis, and Phil Dominey, South West Trains, and dance performances from Dancebites.

June 14, 2012