Margaret Thatcher’s head on a spike appears in place of controversial 20ft statue
A marble statue of Baroness Margaret Thatcher stands in the Guildhall Art Gallery on April 9, 2013 (Dan Kitwood/Getty)
A model of Margaret Thatcher’s head on a spike has appeared atop a plinth destined for a 20ft statue of the Iron Lady, as if that alone wasn’t terrifying enough.
The screaming severed head appeared over the weekend in Thatcher’s home town of Grantham on the site where a giant £300,000 bronze figure will soon stand.
It was made from plaster and erected under cover of darkness by sculptor Mark Robla, who says his new piece has saved South Kesteven District Council a fortune.
“It depicts Margret Thatcher’s head stuck onto a pike made from an office chair, standing at 5ft 3in on the 10ft plinth while still clasping her iconic handbag at the base, all carved completely from plaster,” he proudly told The Grantham Journal.
“I paid about £5 for the chair and took it apart. There were two metal poles inside which I made into a pike and the base of the chair helps balance the sculpture.
“It took about four months to complete and with materials it cost about £100 in total.”
South Kesteven District Council removed the “unauthorised” work on Tuesday (23 February) and said it had made the area safe for members of the public after reporting the matter to the police.
Lincolnshire Police said an offence of criminal damage had been recorded and officers were investigating.
But Robla’s design is undeniably more cost-effective than the council’s current plans for the Tory tyrant, which include a £100,000 unveiling ceremony for more than 200 guests.
The ostentatious monument was originally intended to stand in London’s Parliament Square until plans were rejected for attracting protests.
It remains so controversial that it is currently being stored at a secret location, with the local council budgeting for a granite plinth in a bid to stop it being attacked by “far-left activists”.
Unfortunately for town, news of the statue has only revived opposition to much-reviled former prime minister Margaret Thatcher, who was notorious for her anti-LGBT+ attitudes while in power.
More than 14,000 people on Facebook registered their interest in attending an egg-throwing contest at the monument when it is installed.
