Arch will be reinstalled after £50k of repairs

Peterborough Arch underwent repairs worth more than £50,000

A city's wooden landmark, which underwent repairs costing more than £50,000, will be reinstalled on Thursday.

The Peterborough Arch at Thorpe Meadows, which had overlooked the Longthorpe Parkway for 34 years, was removed in 2022 due to safety reasons following extensive weather damage.

The 4m (13ft) high artwork, carved from iroko wood and fondly called 'Bob', was restored by heritage experts Hall Conservation Ltd, who dried it, repaired damage, and applied varnish.

Artist Lee Grandjean said he was "delighted" that his sculpture has been restored successfully and was "deeply touched" by the affection shown for it by the people of Peterborough.

It was restored by heritage experts Hall Conservation Ltd

Nene Park Trust (NPT) said restoration costs exceeded £50,000 and were funded by the National Lottery, the Henry Moore Foundation and Arts Council England.

It also received £3,000 in public donations, including from Peterborough Civic Society.

The sculpture was commissioned by the Peterborough Development Corporation in the 1980s as part of the city's expansion.

Matthew Bradbury, chief executive of Nene Park Trust, said: "We are so pleased to see this much-loved sculpture restored to its former glory and returned to its familiar home at Thorpe Meadows.

"We're looking forward to hosting Peterborough Arch at Thorpe Meadows for many years to come and seeing the Peterborough Sculpture Collection go from strength to strength."

Grandjean said: "I am glad that it is enjoyed and seen as an 'entrance landmark' into the city.

"That was my intention from the beginning, a positive step across a threshold place and moment, going on to the centre, which I marked as the great cathedral.

"The structure of the sculpture reflects the Gothic architecture of the cathedral and, in the same spirit, embodies a fundamental relationship at this threshold moment between human being and nature."

While the sculpture is being reinstalled, the footpath that runs through the woods and past the sculpture site will be closed for three days until Thursday, NPT said.