Henry Moore statue loan marks Welwyn Garden City centenary

A bronze statue by Henry Moore has been erected in a town in what's been described as a "major coup".

The 20th Century sculptor's Large Standing Figure: Knife Edge, stands next to the Coronation Fountain in Welwyn Garden City as a curtain raiser to its centenary celebrations.

The UK's second garden city was founded by Sir Ebenezer Howard in 1920.

The statue has been loaned to the town for the duration of 2020 by the Henry Moore Foundation.

Henry Moore died in 1986, but his studio remains at Perry Green, near Ware in Hertfordshire, about 17 miles from Welwyn Garden City.

Moore visited the town about 40 years ago at the request of Digswell Arts and he was driven around by Andrew Carnegie, who was one of its trustees.

Mr Carnegie died in 2016 and it was his wish to see a Moore in place for 2020.

Howard Cropp, a current trustee, said: "[Moore] was impressed by the quality of the landscape and urban design. We are delighted that the Henry Moore Foundation has agreed to this loan."

The 5m (16ft)-high statue now standing on Parkway is of a standing human figure and is described as semi-abstract and heavily influenced by Moore's studies of life in nature.

Chairman of the WGC Centenary Foundation, which is organising many events for 2020, Peter Waine, said: "It is a major coup for the garden city to be allowed to display this distinctive bronze statue."

The loan has been sponsored by organisations including The Wheat Quarter, which is behind the proposed arts-led regeneration of the former Shredded Wheat site.

In 1919, following his first project, Letchworth Garden City, Sir Ebenezer, bought land for a second town.

In April 1920, when the company Second Garden City Limited became Welwyn Garden City Limited, the town was born.