Inventor and engineer Richard
Trevithick, will stand alongside designers
Laura Ashley and Julien MacDonald OBE to show a snapshot of the history and culture to come
from the town.
The
Portrait Bench - is a new art initiative from
sustainable transport charity -
Sustrans - which is already appearing on newly created
routes for pedestrians and cyclists across the UK.
The three life-size
figures will surround a simple wooden bench and will be cut from a
weathering Cor-ten steel so that over time the bench becomes a part of
the natural landscape. The
bench will be placed near the new Trevithick bridge along the newly
created traffic-free route
which
runs from the residential areas of Pentrebach and beyond to local
supermarkets and workplaces as well as to the centre of Merthyr Tydfil.
It also links
in to the Taff Trail. There
were 479 suggestions from the community as to who should take the
prestigious places on the bench but these leaders in their field were
the clear winners.
Julien Macdonald OBE
was born in Merthyr in 1971 and attended Cyfarthfa High School. In
2000, he was appointed chief designer at the Paris haute couture house
of Givenchy and in 2006, he was awarded an OBE for services to fashion.
Richard Trevithick
invented the
first full-scale working railway steam locomotive and
in 1804 the world's first railway journey took place along the tramway
of the local Penydarren ironworks.
Laura Ashley - born Laura Mountney -
was born in Dowlais and attended Marshalls School before going
on to become an international designer and household name.
Rachel Lister, Project officer
for Sustrans Cymru, said
"It's great that these local heroes have been
chosen by this community and really represent how people today feel
about their
town. Richard, Laura and Julien will give local walkers and cyclists
somewhere to take a well earned rest on t he route and will take in this
lovely landscape."
Councillor Derek Games, Merthyr
Tydfil CBC, said
'As heritage champion, I would like to thank all
those who contributed and voted for the
three chosen figures. Merthyr Tydfil can feel rightly proud of Richard
Trevithick and the Worlds first steam locomotive and our world renowned
designers, Laura Ashley for her fabrics and our young fashion designer
Julian Mcdonald who is leading the trend today.
I feel very proud of the achievements from these three wonderful people
and their recognition made.'
So far in this project, comedian Rob Brydon, acting legend
Richard Burton, paralympian Dame Tanni Grey Thompson,
and many historical figures and local people have been chosen to be
honoured in these pieces of public art which are now appearing across
the UK. Each bench will be individual to each community with nearly 80
installed across the UK by 2013. Sustrans is one
of the largest commissioners of public art in the UK with over 2000
original artworks along the 12,000 miles of National Cycle Network.
This £2million walking and cycling scheme is being
funded by Sustrans alongside Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council with
£400,000
coming from the Big Lottery Fund which was part of £50million grant
awarded to the charity in 2007.
It is also one of the new routes
being developed as part of the Valleys Cycle Network and will receive
additional funding from the
European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Assembly
Government.
Sustrans is helping create many new routes,
bridges and greenways across the UK so that local communities cam choose
to walk
and cycle more for short local journeys.