A row has broken out over a statue of Sir Nigel Gresley — due to be unveiled at King’s Cross railway station on 5 April, to mark the 75th anniversary of the death of the man who designed the Mallard and Flying Scotsman locomotives.
At the heart of the row is the decision by the Gresley Society to drop its commitment for the statue’s original design to include a mallard at Sir Nigel’s feet.
When applying for planning permission, it stated: “This duck is no mere whimsy. It is an allusion to Sir Nigel’s most famous locomotive — and to his habit of feeding mallards at his pre-war home.”
The change of mind is said to be because two of the engineer’s grandsons complained that the mallard was “demeaning”, but it led to three people leaving the society and caused a stir on social media. Supporters of the duck argued its addition to the statue would “pique the curiosity of passers-by and encourage them to learn more about Gresley — and engineering in general”.
The Mallard, which was built at LNER’s Doncaster Works in South Yorkshire, set the world record speed for a steam locomotive when it reached 125.88mph on the East Coast Main Line in 1938, taking the record from a German locomotive.
It would go on to cover almost one and a half million miles before it was eventually retired in 1963.
Sir Nigel’s statue was cast earlier this month at the Bell Foundry in London’s East End; there was no duck.