Making Britten as a Boy.
The concept:
To celebrate Lowestoft’s most famous son with a statue of him at the age when his talent was recognised, to inspire generations of local children to aspire to achieve their ambitions.
Benjamin Britten, entertaining his mother at 21 Kirkley Cliff Road, Lowestoft
From the age of five, Benjamin Britten was writing and performing music for his family. In 1927, when Britten was 14, his mother took him to the Norfolk and Norwich Music Festival and introduced him to the composer Frank Bridge, who became his viola teacher and encouraged him to pursue his music studies.
He went on to become a central figure of 20th-century British music as an outstanding composer, conductor, and pianist. He was made a Freeman of Lowestoft in 1951, awarded the Order of Merit by Her Majesty the The Queen in 1965 and was the first musician to be elevated to the peerage as Baron Britten in 1976, just six months before he died.
Location.
We wanted the statue to be on the seafront, close to his childhood home at 21 Kirkley Cliff Road and looking out over the North Sea that inspired much of his music.
After considering several options, East Suffolk Council identified a position that fitted our wishes perfectly: an existing garden, between the promenade and the Lord Kitchener Memorial Holiday Centre which we were delighted to reveal was the former site of one of Britten’s early schools, South Lodge. An appropriate place for our statue of the boy composer.
South Lodge School (now demolished) in the centre of this photo between Claremont Pier (left) and Kirkley Cliff Road (right), marked B1532 on the accompanying map.
Committee.
The committee is grateful for the support of our community volunteers
Choosing the sculptor.
The committee considered artists producing work of sufficient scale and sensitivity and chose the distinguished British sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley.
His effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II has appeared on all UK and Commonwealth coinage since 1998 and his figures surround one of the most important war memorials since WWII, the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Ian’s works are in the permanent collections of the British Museum, London's National Portrait Gallery, the Ashmolean Museum, Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge, St Paul's Cathedral, the Rijksmuseum, and several others.
Ian Rank-Broadley responded passionately when approached about representing Britten as a boy and the potential of the statue to inspire future generations. He also has a childhood connection with Lowestoft.
Ian Rank-Broadley working on a statue of Lord Lovat
“The genius of Britten appeared in childhood. A statue of him as a boy in Lowestoft can inspire generations of children to follow their dreams. Bronze is for eternity, Britten deserves no less.”
— Ian Rank-Broadley
“Ian Rank-Broadley is without a doubt one of the most distinguished sculptors of the present day.”
— Dr. Donald Buttress LVO D.Litt MA FSA ARIBA Surveyor Emeritus of Westminster Abbey
Ian Rank-Broadley’s first visit to Lowestoft, to survey potential sites for the statue with the Britten as a Boy committee
Source material.
Ian was provided with countless childhood photographs. He also read extensively about Britten’s young life in Lowestoft.
Read about Britten’s young life in Lowestoft in our free education booklet Benjamin Britten: A Lowestoft Childhood
The wax model.
Ian presented the committee with a series of wax suggestions or ‘sketches’ for the statue. This pose, atop a wooden groyne was the most powerful but it was felt that the clothing was too formal. We wanted the statue to depict Britten at the age of 14 and a suit, whilst perfectly correct for the period, made him look too mature and remote. We wanted our Britten to be relatable to many future generations of Lowestoft children, so we requested the timeless summer beach clothing of t-shirt and shorts — with bare feet.
© Ian Rank-Broadley/Britten as a Boy
The plasticine model.
Once the committee had given detailed notes on Ian’s small wax sketches, he worked up a larger 36” plasticine model. It is a tribute to his great skill that, even at this early stage, Ian’s sculpture conveyed a wistful feeling of serenity, hope and determination.
Jesmonite maquette.
© Ian Rank-Broadley/Britten as a Boy
Once the committee was happy with the plasticine image, Ian cast it in jesmonite — a hard resin — this became the emblem of our fundraising campaign, beginning the hard work of raising the £120,000 needed to create the life sized bronze statue.
The maquette is unveiled at our fundraising launch on Saturday 30 April, 2022
Bronze editions of the maquette are sold to support fundraising.
Ian produced 30 strictly limited casts of the maquette in three sizes: 10 each at 18”, 24” and 36” inches high. All of the 18” bronzes have been sold. There are only 15 remaining of the larger sizes. These will become collectors pieces once the life sized statue is unveiled.
Unfinished bronzes in the foundry
Finished patinated bronze
Full sized clay sculpture.
Once we had completed our fundraising, Ian could begin the life sized figure of Britten as a boy. Scaling up the maquette from 36 inches to twelve feet tall allowed the possibility to greatly increase the detail on the figure.
Britten and his plinth which will be joined together at the foundry
Benjamin Britten’s great-niece, Sophie visits the studio to inspect the full size sculpture
Moulding.
The clay sculpture is covered in blue rubber and fibreglass. From this negative mould a wax positive is produced.
© Ian Rank-Broadley/Britten as a Boy
© Ian Rank-Broadley/Britten as a Boy
The lost wax casting process.
Our statue of Britten as a Boy is being cast at Castle Fine Arts foundry. Here they explain the ancient ‘lost wax process’ that will transform our clay figure into a bronze statue.
Cost.
The statue, including its development, has cost approximately £120,000.
Where has the money come from?
Generous individuals and trusts. The fact that all of the money has been raised from so many small donations makes the statue even more meaningful as it is Britten’s local community and his admirers who are honouring him. The sale of limited-edition statue maquettes has been a significant contribution, along with a fundraising gala at the Wigmore Hall in London.
What happens if you continue to raise more than you need?
Any excess raised will support the installation and maintenance of the statue and allow us to provide attractive information boards about Britten's young life in Lowestoft. It will also enable us to keep this website open as an archive and educational resource.
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