"They May Be Giants..."But Size Isn't Everything!

If you want to make an impression in the realms of symbolic "giant" statuary, you obviously need to think big when designing an imposing, towering structure but size alone is not always enough! A glance through Wikipedia's list of the world's tallest statues reveals that location and subject matter are also key elements that help give these mega-sized works of art their breathtaking impact that visually makes a statement.
Surprisingly, New York's "Statue of Liberty" only comes in at number 48 on the list and the UK's spectacular "Angel of the North" sculpture near Gateshead, only ranks 226 ! Officially, the world's tallest statue is the 420 ft high Spring Temple Budha in China, so, at just 10 ft tall, (including its plinth), Nottingham's Robin Hood Statue might be considered somewhat "small-fry" but in terms of its global fame and the millions of times it has been photographed by visitors it is a real league leader.

Whether it's a National Monument like the USA's awe-inspiring Mount Rushmore National Monument in North Dakota ,depicting four of America's presidents, or the fairground-style fibreglass statue of "Hiawatha – the world's tallest Indian" in Ironwood, Michigan, most "giant" edifices were originally constructed to attract visitors to their location and make a visual statement on the landscape.

That of course was the intention of local businessman, James Mellors when, in March 2009, he put forward proposals for a 100 metre high Robin Hood Statue in a prominent position at either Colwick Woods, Victoria Embankment or near the Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station. He was clearly disappointed at the mixed reaction his suggestion got but he is not the kind of person to give up his dream that easily and most of the world's giant monuments initially struggled to make their ideas become a reality.

So, in the meantime, let's be grateful for what we've got and thank benefactor Phillip Clay for his invaluable visionary gift to the City of Nottingham.