Leicester: Elephant Man statue plan shelved as appeal falls short

Joseph Merrick left Leicester and joined a travelling show to avoid the workhouse

A statue of Joseph Merrick - the so-called Elephant Man - will not be put up in his hometown of Leicester after a campaign failed to raise enough money.

Local historian and Merrick biographer Jo Vigor-Mungovin started the appeal in 2019, hoping to raise £130,000.

The target was later lowered to £67,000 but only a fraction was collected, amid some criticism of the idea.

Mrs Vigor-Mungovin has now said "no-one is interested" and that she would back plans for a plaque instead.

Joseph Merrick

Many people are aware of the story via the 1980 movie starring John Hurt

• Born in August 1862 in Leicester

• His condition did not develop until he was five years old

• Following years in a Leicester workhouse, he contacted a showman who set him up as a travelling exhibit in 1884

• After being robbed and abandoned he went to London in June 1886 and contacted Dr Frederick Treves, who found him a room at the London Hospital

• His head measured 36in (91cm), his right wrist 12in (30cm) and one of his fingers five inches (13cm) in circumference

• He died on 11 April 1890, aged 27, asphyxiated by the weight of his own head, apparently after trying to lie down

• The cause of his condition is still uncertain but many researchers favour Proteus syndrome, a rare genetic disorder

• His story has inspired a number of books, an award-winning play and a film starring John Hurt

Ms Vigor-Mungovin said other statue appeals in Leicester had hit their targets but she had only managed to raise just under £3,000.

"I couldn't raise what I needed. I couldn't get companies interested, like they did with the Joe Orton statue," she said.

"It just got to the point where I thought 'I can't do this any more - no-one is interested', and they are not and that is the simple fact."

As well as writing an account of Merrick's life, Mrs Vigor-Mungovin tracked down his unmarked grave in a London cemetery.

Jo Vigor-Mungovin said the statue was supposed to be a inspiration for those facing challenges

She said: "He had this disability and there are no statues of someone with a disability.

"He was such an independent and inspirational young man, who shows us, no matter what you are going through and who you are, you can achieve great things.

"And that is what should have been celebrated."

Mrs Vigor-Mungovin is supporting plans for a plaque near the site of Merrick's birth on Lee Street and for "Joseph's Garden", a green area in the East End of London close to where he lived and died.

Money raised for the statue will go towards the projects.