One of Moray’s most iconic figures completely lost the head on Friday – but it was entirely for his own good!
The ‘incident’ happened at the Anderson’s Care Home on Elgin’s Institution Road and involved the statue of General Andrew Anderson.
General Anderson’s head was removed as part of major restoration works being undertaken at the building – but the public has been assured that he will be restored to full order soon.
The General died far from his native Moray in 1824 at the age of 77, but never forgot his roots and left £70,000 – a considerable fortune at that time – “for the procurement of education and care in Elgin”.
His statue has proudly observed all that has passed the building created as a result since 1832, but the years have not been kind and so hence the restoration project.
Gary Laing from company G Laing Stonecraft said that the General’s head had to come off before someone got hurt: “We were taking the head off yesterday and were repairing about 14 chimneys on the roof and doing some restoration.
“The statue was in bad nick and needs some work – he had a crack right around his neck, and we had to remove his shoulders and hands.
“It is quite a big restoration and a proper makeover that he is getting.”
The assistant care manager at the home, Kathy McGrath-Gunn, said of the £80,000 restoration project: “It is quite a massive cost to do the whole thing and for a non-profit organisation it is quite an outlay, which shows the commitment of the governors.”
Anderson’s head of maintenance added that he did not thing it was in the initial plan to remove the head from the statue, saying: “Gary thought it would be the best way to carry out the work”