The L S Lowry statue in Mottram-in-Longdendale portrays the renowned artist seated on a bench; it was the first of six commissioned bronze statues created by Escar UK Bronze for Tameside Council in Greater Manchester The sculpture commemorates his long association with the village
Lowry, best known for his industrial landscapes and distinctive figures, lived at The Elms in Mottram-in-Longdendale from 1948 until his death in 1976
This finely detailed L S Lowry bronze sculpture stands at the junction of Stalybridge Road and Hyde Road in Mottram-in-Longdendale, near The Elms, the artist’s home for the last 28 years of his life
The life-size bronze of L. S. Lowry was unveiled in January 2005 and depicts him seated on a bench, sketching the Mottram Crown Pole
This is where he could always be found, ever available and ever willing to talk to friends, acquaintances, writers, dealers, aspiring artists, and even critics, in fact, anyone and everyone who fancied stopping by for a chat
Not only did Lowry seem to enjoy these interruptions but he also realised the value of ‘Good Press’
At the unveiling, Tameside Council leader Roy Oldham, who knew Lowry, welcomed the sculpture as a fitting tribute to the artist and a celebration of the village’s heritage
Laurence Stephen Lowry, born on 1 November 1887 in Stretford, Manchester, later in life, became best known for his atmospheric industrial and urban landscapes
As a boy he enjoyed drawing but it was not until he started work as a clerk that he found himself able to afford lessons and the result of his early efforts revealed him to be a highly accomplished and academic draughtsman
Ironically this was a far cry from the stylised figures he painted in later years and from which he became one of the most popular British artists of the twentieth century
Working as a rent collector for the Pall Mall Property Company, Lowry got to know the poorer districts of Manchester which gave him a wealth of ideas for his paintings
Visiting tenants in the terraced streets, especially the poorer areas around Oldham Road, brought him into contact with the residents and the mills and their workers, all of which provided the rich subject matter for his most famous works
But it was not until the 1930s that Lowry achieved any kind of commercial success, although wider recognition was soon to follow
In 1943 he was invited to become an official War Artist and in 1948 Lowry moved from the house he had lived in at Pendlebury with his parents, to The Elms in Mottram-in-Longdendale
In 1952, on his 65th birthday he retired from the Pall Mall Property Company and in 1953, he was appointed Official Artist at the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
By this time, Lowry had become a celebrity with regular coverage of his activities, and several honours and a series of films followed
Lowry was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy in 1955 and became a full Royal Academician in 1962
Lowry received the Freedom of the City of Salford in 1965; the Universities of Salford and Liverpool awarded him honorary Doctor of Letters degrees in 1975
He also turned down a knighthood in 1968 and Order of the Companions of Honour in both 1972 and 1976, making him the record holder of the most British honours ever declined
He also declined an OBE and a CBE saying, “There was little point now his mother was no longer alive”
L S Lowry died aged 88 at Woods Hospital in Glossop on 23 February 1976, following pneumonia after a stroke at home
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The bronze statue is at the junction of Stalybridge Road and Hyde Road in Mottram-in-Longdendale, Tameside, Greater Manchester; it is near The Elms, where Lowry lived from 1948 until 1976
The life-size bronze statue in Mottram-in-Longdendale was unveiled in January 2005; the photographs on this page include the unveiling and close-up views of the finished sculpture
The Lowry bench statue shows the artist seated and sketching the Mottram Crown Pole; its relaxed pose commemorates his connection with the village and his familiar presence in local life
Visit Manchester credits John Cox and Escar UK Bronze for the Mottram sculpture; the concept drawings shown on this page are by Julie Wilkinson The project formed part of Tameside’s commissioned heritage sculptures
Escar UK Bronze undertakes bespoke bronze portrait commissions, including busts and figures; photographs and other reference material can help develop the likeness, pose and character Visit our commissioned bronze sculptures page to discuss a brief, suitable references, size, setting and quotation