Station's Stephenson statue to go on show

A Grade II listed statue of railway pioneer Robert Stephenson is to go on show at a museum.

The bronze 8ft 10in (2.7m) statue of the Northumberland-born engineer will be unveiled at the Locomotion museum in Shildon, County Durham, on Tuesday.

It was first erected at Euston station in London in 1871 and was on display until 2020 when it was moved into storage due to HS2 works.

Museum head Sarah Price said she hoped the statue would help "inspire" the next generation of engineers from the north-east of England.

Robert Stephenson and his father George set up the first company in the world to build commercial steam trains.

The firm produced Locomotion No 1 in 1825, the first engine to pull a passenger train on a public railway.

Stephenson also developed the London and Birmingham railway which opened in 1838 - the first intercity railway into the capital.

The statue of Stephenson was designed by Italian sculptor Carlo Marochetti in the 19th Century.

It was on display at Euston for 149 years until it was put into storage.

Ms Price said the statue had been leased to the museum for 10 years and had been restored ahead of its unveiling to the public again.

"It will look pretty much brand new," she said.

With all the trains on display at the Locomotion museum, Ms Price said it was "easy to forget" the "human endeavour" behind the feats of engineering.

"Having a statue of somebody who was so intimately involved in that kind of early story - it's just easier for people to relate to," she said.

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