Sir Stanley Matthews (Bet365 Stadium)
Stanley Matthews Way
Stoke
Stoke-on-Trent
ST4 4EG
Tel: 01782 236000
About
Sculptors Julian Jeffrey, Carl Payne and Andy Edwards. The three nine-foot statues were made by local artists, showing Sir Stanley at different stages of his football career, which spanned more than 30 years. The location of the statue is Stoke City FC’s home, the Britannia Stadium but it points towards the club’s old Victoria Ground where Sir Stanley used to play.
The statues themselves were fashioned from local clay before being cast. The creation of the statues took a whole year to complete. Carl Payne, one of the sculptors, refers to the work as the evolution of Sir Stanley as the ‘Wizard Of Dribble.’ He said “Historically it is absolutely correct. People who knew Stan donated his old football boots so we could get it authentic – right down to the last eyelet. All the balls are in the right era and the strip, even the rope around the shorts of Sir Stan when he was a young lad and making his debut for Stoke.
Have your say on public art in the city...
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is creating a register of public art to help inform planning decisions, related to any future regeneration schemes – as well as seeking to understand how people currently engage with public art in Stoke-on-Trent.
The authority already has a 72-strong inventory of public art installations across the city – some of which you can view here on the Visit Stoke website – and it is looking to develop the list even further – with the help of the city’s residents/visitors.
If you are interested in taking part – please click on the following link to complete the survey:
https://www.stoke.gov.uk/info/20003/your_council_your_city/638/public_art
The engagement exercise will run until Wednesday 31 January 2024.