Christchurch's Corgis
New Zealand is a member of the Commonwealth. In 2003, in commemoration of the Queen's Golden Jubilee, three life-sized bronze corgis sculpted by David Marshall and costing $8000 each were installed on Christchurch's High Street, outside of Alice in Videoland and C1 Espresso. The one at the back is sniffing at a dropped ice cream cornet.
Shortly after the earthquake in February 2011 one corgi was stolen and the Christchurch City Council removed the remaining two for safe-keeping.
The missing corgi was reproduced by the sculptor and paid for by insurance money. The work took about a year because the original moulds had not been saved and David Marshall had to make it again "from scratch". However, he believed the finished product was almost identical to the original corgi. In 2014, the trio was reinstated in the same place on High Street.
The three corgis were sculpted after two live champions from Lesley Chalmers, Merthyr Kennels.
17.01.2017
