Friday 22nd January was cold and wet, but it seemed to add poignancy to the occasion, as we gathered to unveil another permanent reminder of our eighty eventful years at Plough Lane. Anyway, as football fans, we were used to it! A flimsy gazebo had been erected on the grassy area between the blocks of flats in the new Reynolds Gate development, and those huddled under it included some famous names from Wimbledon’s history.

The sculpture to be unveiled was one of two which Barratt Homes had paid for as a condition of the planning permission for the flats, the other being a huge waterwheel symbolising the history and importance of the River Wandle.
The ceremony began with Lynnette St-Quintin, sales director for Barratt Southern Counties, thanking Wimbledon fans for all their help and their ideas for the design of the sculpture.

The Mayor of Merton, Cllr. Nick Draper, then gave us a few words. But it was Mick Pugh, representing the Wimbledon fans, who really brought home just how important this spot was to all of us.

He recalled how he’d first come to Plough Lane in 1953, years later promising his disbelieving young son that “One day, we’ll watch Man United here,” and seeing his words come true.

He recalled the glory days of the Amateur Cup win in 1963, the triumph against Burnley, and taking Leeds and Middlesbrough to Cup replays, all while still a non-league side.

There was the belief that Allen Batsford brought to the club before leading it into the League, and the Crazy Gang spirit of the 1980s which culminated in the Cup victory on 14th May 1988 and a unique double.

In the course of this stroll through the past half-century, Mick introduced the former players who were present: Roy Law and John Martin from the 1963 FA Amateur Cup-winning team, Jeff Bryant who scored our first goal in the Football League, Dickie Guy, Ian Cooke, and John Scales from the 1988 FA Cup winning team. We were also honoured to welcome Mrs Maureen Batsford, Allen’s wife.
Lawrie Sanchez and Dave Beasant had sent apologies via Mick, with their very best wishes for the ceremony and to the fans.

Finally, Mick spoke for many when he expressed the anger that had been felt over the sale of the site and the subsequent betrayal of the club and its fans, and the theft of its league place. But he thanked Barratt for their sensitivity towards our wishes for permanent recognition, when other developers could well have ignored us. And Merton Council had been more supportive than ever in our last few years as AFC Wimbledon.

We then walked round the corner to the junction of Plough Lane and Durnsford Road, where the sculpture – named “Landmark” -- was waiting for us, wrapped in a red cloth.

The Mayor undid the cords, and the cloth fell away to reveal a vertical oblong bronze slab, set on a square plinth.

After the obligatory photos and refreshments in the small Barratt office (soon to be a community hall), a hard core of former players and fans repaired to The Woodman to share their reminiscences.

The sculpture, cast from molten bronze, has a separate design on each face. The side facing Durnsford Road shows the double-headed eagle from the Wimbledon FC crest inset in stainless steel, which reflects the light and can be clearly seen by pedestrians and passing traffic.

The other side shows a minute-by-minute map of the events of the 1988 FA Cup Final. The sculptor, Sam Burford, uses a technique which converts video information into “landscape reliefs”. He has provided an explanatory plaque so you can follow what’s going on on the pitch, and where!

The sculpture is deliberately tactile: Sam says, “It became apparent from conversations about the artwork that the piece was acting as a touchstone that could be touched to call up memories and emotions about the past. If fans are able to touch the surface, it will take on a polished quality that will improve and evolve with time.”

And as Mick says, “Touch the moment Lawrie Sanchez beat Grobbelaar -- oh yes!” The sculpture is the culmination of two years of work. Thanks go to Dons fan David Miller, former governor of Wimbledon College of Art, who gave us a contact at the College, which we passed on to Barratt.

The College, now part of the University of the Arts London, runs a specialist department –The Engine Room – which advises on community projects, so their involvement meant there was top-quality help on hand.

WISA were included in meetings between Barratt and The Engine Room and it was clear that everyone wanted the sculpture to reflect the passionate loyalty which Wimbledon FC inspired among its fans.

Sam himself did an immense amount of research into the club and its history, and met a number of Dons fans to get their views.

The bronze casting was made by the Chelsea College of Art & Design Foundry. The finish was provided by Benson-Sedgwick Engineering, some of whose staff were former Dons fans and which kindly sponsored the sculpture.

If you go to see the Landmark, do also have a look at the waterwheel in the centre of the development. It is made of Welsh fine-grained oak and was put together by sculptor Aaron McPeake and a work shop in Wales.

Meanwhile, the time capsule has now been buried at Reynolds Gate. The exact location is under wraps, but we are currently trying to find out whether it should be registered somewhere (for example, with the Land Registry), so that its existence can be borne in mind if any changes are carried out on the site.

Thanks to Dave McKnight for the photos.

You can see Mick’s speech on YouTube at:

Part1 : here
Part2 : here





Mayor Unveils the Sculpture