Local Heroes

The three nine-foot statues were made by local artists, showing Sir Stanley at different stages of his career, which spanned more than 30 years.

The final resting place for the statues was Stoke City's new home Britannia Stadium. However, the statues point towards the club's old Victoria Ground, where Sir Stanley played.

The statues themselves were fashioned from local clay before being cast. The creation of the statues took a whole year to complete.

Much of the initial work was carried out at the Britannia Stadium, with the help of Stoke fans.

Carl Payne, one of the sculptors, refers to the work as The Evolution Of Sir Stan As The Wizard Of Dribble. He said "Historically it is absolutely correct. People who knew Stan donated his old football boots so we could get it authentic - right down to the last eyelet. All the balls are in the right era and the strip, even the rope around the shorts of Sir Stan when he was a young lad and made his debut for Stoke."

Sir Stan's daughter, Jean Gough was delighted to see the finished memorial.

What do you think about Sir Stan, or any of Staffordshire's other heroes or heroines?

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