The reinstalled Montrose minesweeper statue on the town’s beach esplanade is proving a hit on a sculpture trail for visitors keen to enjoy the works of local sculptor William Lamb in appropriate outdoor settings.
Its role was to patrol the dunes watching for mines that might be swept into the harbour on an incoming tide, and the bronze cast of Lamb’s representation of the strength and character of the seafarer past was installed at the seafront in 2000.
But the statue was swallowed up in a massive hole that opened up after the collapse of part of the seawall, when it took a pounding in storms last month.
Miraculously the statue was undamaged, and has joined works such as Bill The Smith, The Whisper, Le Paresseux, The Seafarer and The Ferryden Fisherwoman as well as Lamb’s studio on the Montrose trail.
The studio is open 2pm-5pm daily throughout the summer, with assistant Iain Summerville on hand to help visitors.
The Friends Of William Lamb Studio is also inviting visitors to walk with Ron Millar around the High Street visiting closes, starting from the town buildings and ending in Trades close. These take place on Mondays, August 2, 9 and 16 at 2pm.
The Friends, Montrose Society and the Montrose Heritage Trust have also supported the reproduction of the sculpture trail leaflet, giving details of the art adorning public spaces, which is available in the studio in Market Street, the library and the tourist office.
Photo courtesy of Stewart Lloyd-Jones.