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BRADFORD ON AVON, WILTSHIRE MILLIE The Mayor
of Bradford on Avon, Vicky Landell Mills unveiled "Millie",
as the sculpture is affectionately known, on Saturday 22nd January 2000.
Millie was designed and produced by sculptor John Willats in response
to a national competition organised by Bradford on Avon's Town Council.
The re-design of the Festival Garden site, in which the statue stands,
was also part of the The sculpture features elements symbolising all three millennia. The stone base symbolises the first millennium of Bradford on Avon's history. The conical part of the base, in the form of a half-buried Roman amphora, suggests Bradford on Avon's Roman origins. On one side of the stone drum on the conical base are two angels, similar to those in the Saxon church, acknowledging Christian foundation of the latter half of the first millennium. On the other side of the drum is carved a gudgeon, the emblem of Bradford on Avon and its river. On either side of the fish are the words of the town's unofficial motto 'Sub Pisce - super Flumine' (under the fish and over the water). The bronze figure is of a mill girl "Millie", who symbolises Bradford on Avon's long association with the wool and cloth trade. She represents the spirit of the second millennium. In her left hand she carries a distaff and a spindle hangs from her waistband. She also represents Clothe, one of the three Greek Fates, who respectively spun out, measured and cut off humans' lives. The English word 'cloth' derives from her name. The passing of time is thus represented by her spinning. Millie's dress, with its high waistband, suggests the eighteenth century, as does the terraced garden, the period of Bradford on Avon's greatest prosperity. The dove is being released towards the town and into the future and symbolises the free spirit of the third millennium. Its destination is unknown, but it represents freedom and hope. From its base to the bird's wings, the sculpture is 14 feet high (4.3 metres). The girl is life size and is cast in bronze, 6mm thick. She weighs about two-fifths of a ton (350kg). The stone base is carved in macroporous oolitic limestone quarried from a mine at nearby Limpley Stoke. To secure the sculpture in position, it has a stainless steel tie rod, 32mm in diameter, through three stone bases into the foundations. The slate plaque below the statue was engraved by Sarah Moore, who also has links with Bradford on Avon. Dr. John Willats, a respected local sculptor and former resident of Bradford on Avon, now lives in Somerton in Somerset. He studied at Queen's College Cambridge and the Royal College of Art, and was head of Sculpture at the then North East London Polytechnic. He is also a noted author and lecturer. |