Renowned artist creates park statue after thefts

John Doubleday started working on the new statue in July

A new statue by a world-renowned artist is set to be unveiled in a public garden to replace its much-loved predecessor that was stolen twice.

The Child in the Park was a staple feature in Lake Meadows in Billericay, Essex, after it was installed in 2001. It was stolen and found in 2017, before being taken again in 2024.

Artist John Doubleday, who also created the old sculpture, said the new one was "intended to be an entry point for engaging children into animals and the natural world".

The statue is due to be unveiled later.

The Child in the Park statue disappeared from its plinth in 2024

The new sculpture is called The Spirit of the Child in the Park and takes the shape of a spiral.

Doubleday, 78, who lives near Maldon, said he had been working on the 6ft (1.8m) statue since July, which is made out of fondu cement.

"It's very different, it is a different material," he explained.

"The problem with the first one, being in bronze, it was a target for theft."

Doubleday's works include sculptures of Nelson Mandela, Winston Churchill and one of Charlie Chaplin in Leicester Square.

He said he wanted to create the new artwork for Billericay out of "stubbornness and a refusal to give in to the more negative aspects of people's behaviour".

"Sculpture is a personal view that you hope will mean something to other people," he continued.

Charlie Chaplin's statue was unveiled in 1981 by actor Sir Ralph Richardson

The statue has been commissioned by a group called Friends of Lake Meadows and the Rotary Club of Billericay Mayflower has helped fund it.

Doubleday said that although the new statue takes on a different shape, he hoped it would encourage children to learn about the environment and explore any curiosities they have about nature.

"[It is an] upwards spiral of life relating to children's engagement to the natural world."