Ladies’ facelift will have them dancing for joy
Feb 5 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal
TWO dancing girls came down to earth for the first time in almost a century yesterday.
A crane was used to lift the statues from the towers of the listed Spanish City dome in Whitley Bay.
The move is part of measures to restore the dome, and the metal figures will themselves be refurbished and reinstalled.
The figures, one playing the cymbals and the other a tambourine, were erected in 1910 and originally stood on domed canopies over the towers.
The operation was supervised by North Tyneside Council’s Ken Monk and Scott Rutherford, manager of Dowse Crane Hire of North Shields.
Scott also oversaw the crane operation last month when Grace Darling’s coble was winched into position in the revamped Grace Darling museum in Bamburgh, Northumberland.
Scott is fast earning a reputation as a good luck talisman as the coble and yesterday’s operation were both blessed with clear blue skies after stormy weather.
He said: “It was great to see the blue sky but we still have to be very careful. The statues are part of the heritage of North Tyneside.”
A spokesperson for North Tyneside Council said: “The figurines are an important part of the character and heritage of the dome and we wanted to ensure that they are not damaged in the refurbishment work to the dome itself.
“A specialist firm will be used to ensure the figures are returned to as close to their original state as possible.
“They will then be stored until they can again take pride of place on top of the dome once the refurbishment is completed.”
The dome is currently being stripped of redundant internal fittings by Holystone Demolition of Wallsend.
The project is part of the £60m regeneration of Whitley Bay seafront and will see the dome temporarily painted grey and red before the final weatherproofing coat returns it to pristine white later in the spring.
Some fittings such as the ornate internal plasterwork will be restored. The main contract to restore the dome starts in late spring and will be complete early next year.
