A Rub for Luck

A lovely morning to walk through the Park on my way to work. This statue commemorates Sir Frances Sharp Powell, a local philanthropist and MP of Wigan and is situated in Mesnes Park. The piece is typical of commemorative sculpture from the 1880's-1950's and was erected by public subscription in 1910. The bronze sculpture has oxidised over time and become this lovely green colour. But you can see that one of Sir Frances' boots is highly polished. This is due to the tradition of when passing the statue rubbing his foot for luck. Needless to say I conformed to tradition before going on to buy my lottery ticket