Centennial Park
Statues And Sculptures.
The Original Design For Centennial Park Had A Total of 31 Statues Through The Park. Over The Years Due To Vandalism And Weathering Only 19 Remained In 1946 And Today There Are Only 9.
Charles Dickens Was A Renowned English born Novelist & Social Commentator. He Achieved Popular Acclaim In The Late 1830's, And His Fame Grew Until His Death In 1870.
Centennial Park Was Officially Opened By Sir Henry Parkes, On January 26th 1888 To Commemorate 100 Years Of European Settlement In Australia
The Marble Statue Of Charles Dickens Appears To Have Been 1 Of 11 Statues Acquired In 1889 As Decoration For The New Park. It Was Originally At The Junction Of Parkes And Hamilton Drive But Was Relocated To The Junction Of Dickens And Loch Avenue In 1897, To Make Way For The Statue Of Sir Henry Parkes.
The Statue Is 1 Of Only 2 Known Life Size Representations Of Charles Dickens In The World; The Other Is A Bronze Statue In Clark Park, Philadephia, USA
In 1972 Most Of The Remaining Statues In The Park Were Removed & Put In Storage. Then The Statue Was Lost, And Its Location Was Unknown For Over 40 Years.
When Gaenor Vallack, A Volunteer At The NSW Library And A Member Of The Dickens Society, Was Flicking Through Edwin Wilson's Book The Wishing Tree A Picture Of Charles Dickens Statue Caught Her Eye.
In November 2006, Sandra Wrote To The Sydney Morning Heralds Column 8 Asking If Anyone Had Any Idea If The Statue Still Existed And If So, Where Was It?
in 2007, Column 8 published Saying That The Statue Was Placed In The Protective Custody By The Royal Botanic Gardens, And That The Charles Dickens Statue Had Lost Its Head.
