Northallerton: Former jail site set to feature sculpture of young inmate

The sculpture could be part of the development on the former prison site

A sculpture of a young Victorian girl jailed almost 150 years ago for stealing bread could feature as part of a development on a former prison site.

Hambleton District Council's cabinet is considering commissioning the £105,000 public art scheme at its Treadmills development in Northallerton.

The work, by Ray Lonsdale, depicts 11-year-old Sophia Constable, who was jailed for three weeks in 1873.

If approved, it will be among the final additions to the mixed-use development.

It comes after several artists were invited to submit proposals for an artwork, with Mr Lonsdale's sculpture of Sophia, from Whitby, chosen for its potential to provide the most impact.

The youngster spent three weeks at Northallerton Prison, before spending four years in a reformatory school for obtaining, by false pretences, a threepenny loaf of bread from a shop in Whitby, despite claiming her crime had been motivated by hunger.

Ray Lonsdale is known for works including the soldier Tommy at Seaham and Freddie Gilroy And The Belsen Stragglers, pictured above in Scarborough

Funding of more than £67,000 has already been secured, with councillors being asked to consider additional funding for the Treadmills art project, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Plans for the development on the site of the prison, which housed convicts between 1788 and 2013, include shops, restaurants, a cinema and flats.

Councillors will also be asked to approve a £50,000 grant for an arts scheme at Mill Hill primary school in Northallerton.

The Imaginosity project had the potential to be launched at schools in the district and lead to further public artworks at Treadmills.

An officer's report found the development of public art at Treadmills would "revive the town's heritage" and help drive the development of Northallerton as "a vibrant market town".