Henry VI statue to stand by restored Coventry Cross

Councillor Jim O'Boyle said the statue of Henry VI would go behind panels in the new Cross

A 3D-printed statue of Henry VI will be erected in Coventry as part of an £800,000 project in the city centre.

The city council said it would be an exact replica of a statue made in the 1500s, which is now housed in the Herbert Art Gallery.

It will stand close to a 1976 replica of the Coventry Cross which is being returned to the city centre.

Work to rebuild the 57-foot cross in its new location is expected to be finished in the spring.

The cross was removed four years ago and the replacement will stand close to Primark and opposite the Holy Trinity Church, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Work is under way to return the Coventry Cross to the city centre

Labour Coventry City councillor Jim O'Boyle said he had the idea to install a statue of Henry VI when he was told about the original in the Herbert, but historians told him the original was too old and fragile.

So instead, Mr O'Boyle said he asked Coventry firm HPL to have a copy made.

"It's the best of the old and the best of the new, I am really proud of that," he said.