Star date: 8th September 2018

PONY AND LAMPPOST GET PLANNING PERMISSION FOR BEXLEY SQUARE

A pony and lamppost sculpture created by artist Emma Rodgers and to be sited at Bexley Square, got planning permission this week from Salford City Council.

The lamppost represents the first gas lit street lighting in the world which was located on Chapel Street, while the scrawny pony recognises Salford having the first horse-drawn bus service, and use of horses in its mining and canal system. There's a load of other symbolism in the sculpture too...but nothing about the Battle of Bexley Square.

Full details here...

This week, Emma Rodgers' sculpture depicting a pony and lamppost got planning permission to be sited in Bexley Square, outside the old town hall building that's now been converted into a block of flats.

The lamppost represents the first gas lit lamps in the world, erected in 1806 to illuminate parts of Chapel Street and the Philips and Lee factory, which allowed deliveries to and from the factories to continue after dark.

The horse represents Salford's history of its use within the underground colliery and canal systems, as well as representing the first city to have a horse-drawn bus service, and, the planning statement adds; "most significantly the horse is a physical representation of 'horse power' as a unit of measurement...

"Both the pony and street light will be comprised of stories of Salford's firsts, hidden within the pieces for the public to discover" the statement adds "On further investigation, the visitor will find that the horse's mane is made from books celebrating the first public library. Detailed inspection of the bridle will reveal the history of Salford's canal system. Train tracks along the harness leading to a steam train and will also incorporate the letter J for by James Prescott Joule who discovered the first law in thermodynamics. There would also be many more details discreetly placed to acknowledge Salford's many other achievements."

These will include references to the first steamboat in the world built in Worsley in 1758 which operated on the Bridgewater Canal, itself to be represented on the pony; the first million pound cheque to be written as the Canal was sold in 1872; and the first swing aqueduct in the world which carries the Bridgewater Canal over the Manchester Ship Canal.

"The public will be encouraged to interact with the sculpture as they see and explore the different details that are displayed on the piece" adds the planning statement "...this piece will be a celebration of Salford's unique past and place in history..."

Unfortunately there's no reference to the Battle of Bexley Square, which took place in 1931 when 10,000 Salford people marched on the old Town Hall and were viciously attacked by the police as they demanded no cuts to unemployment benefit, no cuts to teachers' salaries, free coal for the unemployed in the winter and free milk for children under five. There were lots of police horses around that day as demonstrators got bludgeoned so there is a spurious link, one could suppose...

There's no date for the sculpture's arrival in Bexley Square but expect it in the near future...