Statue of legendary strongman unveiled

A statue of a legendary strongman who carried his pony through a river rather than pay a bridge toll has been unveiled.

The cast bronze statue of Jimmy Strength is now sitting in Berwick's high street to the "delight" of tourists and locals.

The piece was commissioned by the Berwick Rotary Club alongside the Berwick Town Team and Freeman of Berwick.

Sculptor Sebastien Boyesen said it had been "an absolute joy" to create Jimmy Strength and he had loved getting to know the people of the town.

He said: "It is made out of cast bronze and it should be good for hundreds of years.

"I have been a sculptor all my life and sometimes you do work and think I really hope they like it."

Jimmy Strength, who stood at just 5ft 2ins tall (1.5m), lived in Berwick in the 19th Century and tales of his strength quickly became myths.

It was said he came to Berwick Bridge riding a pony and was advised the toll was a halfpenny for pedestrians and one penny for mounted riders, so he paid the halfpenny and carried the pony over the bridge.

Alongside his remarkable strength, he was also known for being a musician, travelling around the area playing his violin.

Michael Richardson, of the Berwick Rotary Club, co-ordinated the installation of the statue and opted for the local legend over Queen Elizabeth II and Winston Churchill.

"We wanted somebody with a story and it will help to keep the myths of Jimmy Strength going," he said.

"It is now in the high street and a massive amount of tourists are already looking at it."

Richardson said he hoped walking routes to locations associated with Jimmy Strength may be mapped out from the statue, to encourage people to explore the area.

The statue currently only has planning permission to be in place for 28 days but an application has been submitted for it to become a permanent fixture of the high street.

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