The vandalised stone block at junction 4 of the M65 at Lower Darwen
IT was destined to become a unique piece of public art which drivers using junction 4 of the M65 couldn’t fail to miss.
But back in 1998, the large block of sandstone earmarked for the statue fell victim to a prankster who sprayed ‘Welcome to Bedrock’ on the giant boulder.
Sculptor Tom Dagnall. spent 18 months creating the statue of a nude workman chiselling into rock. It was to be called Arte et Labore taking its name from the borough’s Latin motto meaning “By Skill and Labour” and cost £27,000.
The sandstone had been quarried in Rivington and placed on a specially-created mound.
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