Sefton Council are hoping to restore the artwork and display it in the Lord Mayor’s room in Bootle Town Hall
James Loft (left), and son John from The Loft Upholstery, Crosby, with the bronze plaque of Mary Poulsom(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A lost artwork has been discovered in a dusty workshop more than fifty years after it was stolen from a park in Bootle.
The Poulsom memorial statue was unveiled in 1906 and commemorates the lives of William and Mary Poulsom, who worked ‘tirelessly and selflessly for the less fortunate people of Bootle’.
William Poulsom was a twice-elected mayor of Bootle between 1880 and 1881 and later a magistrate in the town, while Mary was a well-known philanthropist focused on helping the poor of the area.
A plaque dedicated to William and Mary at the Derby Park memorial explains that the couple were ‘proud of Bootle and actively involved in schemes that improved the welfare of the working people’. William died in 1903 with Mary passing away soon after. It was decided to pay tribute to their lives with a public statue, which has had pride of place for more than 120 years.
However, some time during the 1970s, a copper plaque rendering of Mary Poulsom was stolen from the memorial. Speculation and theories have surrounded the mysterious disappearance of the plaque ever since, but despite numerous public appeals, the artwork was never seen again and was eventually replaced during restoration works in 2008.
James Loft (left), and son John from The Loft Upholstery, Crosby, with the bronze plaque of Mary Poulsom(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
That was until a few weeks ago when a Facebook post from a Crosby-based furniture business uploaded a photo of a dust-covered artefact and asked the public if anyone knew what it was. Within 24 hours, the post was shared by numerous accounts and prompted dozens of comments expressing their astonishment at what they had found.
James Loft, 76, has worked in the furniture repair business since he started as an apprentice more than 50 years ago. James now runs The Loft Upholstery store in Crosby with his son John, and they have a workshop across the road from the main store, which he’s used for the last ten years.
When he first went into the workshop space to clear it out, James was surprised to find an unusual item. He said: “At first I thought it would make a nice little ornament for the garden, but I never got round to it.
“It’s been knocking about the shop for the last five years and moved from room to room, but it’s always been at the back of my mind to find out what it is.
A memorial to William and Mary Poulsom in Derby Park, Bootle(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“I thought there must be somebody out there who knows it,` so I stuck it on Facebook and next thing you know, everyone was going ‘wow!’ and telling stories about where it had come from.
“Then a fella called Michael [Brennan] got in touch and sent me pictures of the memorial in Derby Park in Bootle and the replacement plaque which is on it now.
“We’re very happy to give the original back to Sefton Council and see it restored.”
Michael Brennan is a community activist and founder of the Bootle Action Facebook group which first responded to Mr Loft’s post. Michael quickly identified the mysterious artefact and reached out to James to inform him of its origins.
Michael spoke to the Liverpool ECHO about the history of the plaque and its disappearance: “I think it was originally taken some time in the 1970’s. It could have just been malicious vandalism or stolen for self-gain.
“What we do know is the monument was restored in 2008 along with other significant features within Derby Park.
Replacement image of Mary Poulsom on The Poulsom Memorial Statue in Derby Park, Bootle(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
“To have the original Mary Poulsom plaque back in the town is important, as it’s not only part of our history but is also a memorial honouring two deceased people.”
Michael and the ECHO reached out to Sefton Council about what it will do with the rediscovered artwork; a spokesperson said: “
A Sefton Council spokesperson said: “It’s great that this piece of Sefton’s history has been unearthed after all this time, and we are grateful to those who found it and want to return it to us.
“We will look at the best way to clean the plaque up, taking into account its age and condition, and will then find it a suitable place for posterity, such as the Mayor’s Room at Bootle Town Hall.”