Two tonnes of T: Baroness Thatcher's statue finds a home

Q. Two tonnes

A. Not exactly: 1.8 tonnes of white Carrara marble, in fact.

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Q. Wouldn't an cast-iron statue have been more appropriate

A. Just because she was known as the Iron Lady A bit literal. Anyway, marble has a longer shelf-life, so count on her being around for some centuries yet.

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Q. So where's she going, then

A. The 8-foot high statue of Margaret 'Baroness' Thatcher with handbag has been looking for a home for some time, and it's now been agreed that she will find a temporary residence in the care of the Guildhall Art Gallery in the City of London. A spokesman for the Guildhall told the answerbank that all the necessary arrangements had been made and that the erstwhile PM would find a home as an exhibit in the gallery until such time as she was eligible to return to the Palace of Westminster.

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Q. When will that be

A. When she's passed on.

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Q. Don't get your drift. Explain

A. The statue was commissioned in 1998 by the House of Commons Speaker's Advisory Committee on Works of Art, and paid for by an anonymous benefactor. However, tradition demands it must not take its place in the Commons until after the subject's death.

Labour MP Tony Banks, Chairman of the House of Commons Works of Art Committee, describes the sculpture as a 'a fine piece of art'.

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Q. Isn't it hard to imagine Tony Banks doing anything for Margaret Thatcher, even a statue of her

A. Well, he also said: 'I don't like her politically but she certainly was unique as the first ever woman prime minister,' and he's been trying to get the rules changed so that the statue can take its place in the near future.

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Q. Were there any other offers or suggestions for a temporary residence

A. A few. One plan was to place it in the new MPs' office building, Portcullis House, but this was abandoned when it became apparent it was so heavy that the floors would have to be reinforced at huge expense.

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Another alternative resting place was offered by Tory MP Quentin Davies, who represents Mrs T's birthplace of Grantham, where it would join the statue of Isaac Newton, the town's other famous offspring.

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The retirement city of Lake Havasu in Arizona also offered. Thirty years ago the US city bought London Bridge - believing it to be Tower Bridge, so the story goes, though there's actually no truth in it, and they felt that the statue would help its grey tourism industry.

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However, all these were rejected, and Tony Banks has got what he wanted: a prestigious site in London.

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Q. Who made the sculpture

A. The statue was carved by Neil Simmons, who is regarded as one of the UK's finest figurative sculptors.

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Q. Wasn't that something of a daunting task

A. In an interview with the BBC, he said: 'When I first met her I was very worried, rather intimidated, as most of us were, but meeting her she was a very human person...She was a very easy person to talk to - which I was very surprised at.'

He had Mrs T. in for six sittings - during which she had to sit on a chair on scaffolding - and took two years to carve the piece.

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Q. A bit different to Iain Duncan Smith's recent rejection by Madame Tussaud's, then

A. Indeed. Apparently Madame Tussaud's thinks Iain Duncan Smith is the first party leader in over a century to be too dull to be worth a waxwork, though they would agree to review this if he were to 'do something interesting'. This is a blow to IDS, whose stated intent is to make voting Conservative fashionable.

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Conservative Central Office said: 'Iain Duncan Smith has better things to do than sit for a waxwork.' Oooh.

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See also the answerbank article on Guildhall Art Gallery

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For more on Arts & Literature click here

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By Simon Smith