17 Comments

Residents fight to keep Bobby Moore statue

World CupLocal Newham residents have started a petition to Newham mayor, Sir Robin Wales asking for the World Cup sculpture containing Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst to be left on the corner of Green Street and Barking Road.

The petition by Cecilia Welsh says:

“We request that the World Cup Sculpture/Bobby Moore statue stays where it is when West Ham United FC moves to the Olympic Stadium.

The statue was commissioned by Newham Council and WHUFC and paid for by both, so the neighbourhood has a legitimate claim for it to stay here and we as residents and council tax payers a right to ask for it.

The spiritual home of WHUFC will always be here, in Upton Park, opposite the Boleyn Pub (a listed building). The statue should be here too, as a fitting memorial to WHUFC’s position at the heart of this area and our community for over one hundred years.

So help save OUR statue, and protect the legacy it represents by signing this petition.”

The petition has 318 signatures at time of publication and is backed East Ham MP Stephen Timms.

 

 

About Sean Whetstone

I am Season Ticket Holder in West stand lower at the London Stadium and before that, I used to stand in the Sir Trevor Brooking Lower Row R seat 159 in the Boleyn Ground and in the Eighties I stood on the terraces of the old South Bank. I am a presenter on the West Ham Podcast called MooreThanJustaPodcast.co.uk. A Blogger on WestHamTillIdie.com a member of the West Ham Supporters Advisory Board (SAB), Founder of a Youtube channel called Mr West Ham Football at http://www.youtube.com/MrWestHamFootball, I am also the associate editor here at Claret and Hugh. Life Long singer of bubbles! Come on you Irons! Follow me at @Westhamfootball on twitter

17 comments on “Residents fight to keep Bobby Moore statue

  1. they belong at the os

  2. It’s a difficult one in my opinion.Maybe it should come to the OS but it is also a local landmark,something being taken from the community.I ain’t sure of the answer to be honest,i don’t live in the area so it doesn’t affect me.

  3. A tricky one this ?
    It represents the clubs achievements ! IMO it should go to the O/S as it will be seen and admired by football loving people from everywhere in the world . Being left at the end of deserted green st will only get pigeons attention , and a changing population that doesn’t give a damn about west ham and its history !
    We move on , literally !!
    It makes sense .

  4. Well the fact that it was half paid for by Newham council makes it less straight forward than saying just take it.End of the day its in a public place not private land so it aint as straight forward as saying pick it up & move it with us.Im pretty much the same as Stan,i don’t live in the area so what I think is irrelevant,as usual haha

  5. personally i feel it would be nice to keep the statue there. A tribute to the history of Upton park for future generations. But lets make new statues for the new O.S. Can still have bobby Moore and co. but potentially include a Brooking statue much like the Moore statue outside Wembley or the ones that Arsenal have made of Henry etc. outside The Emirates or the Ferguson statue outside Man utd. We could replace the John Lyall gates with a statue etc.

  6. It seems strange to be moving all this stuff to a place that doesn’t even belong to us.But I guess most people take their garden gnome with them when they move house lol

  7. In my humble opinion, as 8909 writes, it would be nice to keep the statue there, a tribute to Upton Park. But as Stan and Rads say, I don’t live in that area, in that city and in that nation… so my opinion is very irrilevant… lol 😉

  8. The statue cost £725,000 in all, with £400,000 coming from a Government grant, and the bulk of the remainder from West Ham. The total cost included associated street improvements. Contributions also came from the Green Street Single Regeneration Budget, the Arts Council for England, and Arts & Business

  9. The statue will still be in Newham if it moves so it will still be in the borough for the residents & tax payers of Newham & as a bonus it’s going to be replaced with a new statue so I don’t see the problem, the 4 World Cup heros deserve to be seen by as many people as possible so should be at the Olympic park

  10. OK fair enough,i knew it is still in Newham,but what I ment was there is a difference between it being at an Olympic park or the place it is now in the centre of the community where the old ground is/was.Anway everyone has different opinions & as I said I don’t live there so have no strong feelings either way if I’m honest 🙂

  11. Leave it where it is, they played at the Boleyn at a time when the club was a real part of the community. Get a new one comissioned for the OS

  12. Tough one! but for me it stays where it is, half paid through local council taxes, and a strong memorial of what will always be our Spiritual Home.

    Commission a new statue for the OS!

  13. Haven’t we already taken enough from the community?

  14. Most of the remaining community members won’t have much knowledge of what the statue represents and it would be open to vandalism by fans from other clubs if it remains, take it with us so fans from visiting clubs as well as our’s can get their selfie’s in front of it..

  15. Ten years from now none of the locals will be bothered, whereas the stayue would always be cherished at the OS – which is, afterall, now our official home. Having said that, if we did move it, would it mean that Ray Wilson had go back to Everton?

  16. As I said in a previous post, leave it where it is – the only thing I recognise is the pose as the faces bear no resemblance to the players. Keep it there as a nod of respect to those who played at the Boleyn (not the OS) as there will be little else commemorating West Ham after they’ve removed the stadium.

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