PLANS have been submitted to move two Grade II listed statues from Winnington Works to the town centre.

The statues, one of Ludwig Mond and the other of Sir John Brunner, currently sit at the front of Mond House - the former administrative building of Winnington Works.

Tata Chemicals Europe proposes to move the statues to a vacant piece of land near Parr’s Bank, where they would be surrounded by benches and potted plants.

As founders of the original Brunner Mond and Company, the pair built Winnington Works and first produced soda ash in the town in 1874.

The statue of Mond was erected in 1913 and Bruner in 1922, however both were moved to Mond House in 1995.

Northwich Guardian:

The Mond and Brunner statues in their current location

Tata have chosen to move the statues to its preferred location near Parr’s Bank following an appraisal carried out AOC Archaeology.

“The statues are deemed to be of special architectural and historical interest in terms of the quality of craftsmanship and artistic distinction,” a report prepared by AOC reads.

“Their historical interest is related to their commemorative and memorial functions in representing the important historical characters which they represent.

“The removal of the statues from an industrial context would not affect the special architectural interest of the statues.”

Northwich Guardian:

The proposed Parr's Bank site

Among the other locations considered for the statue was the Bullring, which is seen as a gateway into the town, however questions have been raised over the size of the site.

A planning document reads: “The Bullring feels very much like the entrance to Northwich town centre, and placing the statues here could allow for an understanding of Brunner and Mond as the effective founders of modern Northwich.

“The location would provide ample public access to the statues where they could fulfil their commemorative and memorial function.

“However the shape of the plinth could potentially lead to a feeling of crowdedness, both in terms of the ability to appreciate the statues in their own right and in terms of the entry to the town centre.”

Northwich Guardian:

The Bullring

Before the statues are moved, the ground conditions at the Parr’s Bank site will be investigated to understand its load bearing capacity.

Should it be determined that the ground is not suitable, the application seeks to temporarily store the statues until another suitable location is found.