26th May 2011

WEYMOUTH: Student winner to create monument to Sir Thomas

By Harry Walton

A MONUMENT to a Weymouth man who played a key role in the abolition of slavery could be placed on Manor Roundabout.

A competition to design the large work to the memory of Sir Thomas Foxwell Buxton involved seven Weymouth College stonemasonry students.

Entries by Luke Batchelor, Ian Chalmers, Maia Czajkowsky, Daniel Langridge, Peter Loizou, Peter Nyholm and David Wilkins were considered by the judging panel which included college principal Sue Moore, Weymouth and Portland Mayor Paul Kimber and Sir Thomas’s direct descendant James Buxton.

The panel said they were impressed with the efforts of all the students and the standard was high given that they had been set a challenging task – to produce a design from scratch, to the criteria. When they embarked on this project, the site for the monument had not been determined. Only late in the day was it agreed that the Manor Roundabout would be the preferred site.

The clear winner was Peter Loizou, a 36-year-old from Bridport who is in the second year of his Diploma in Stonemasonry.

The college said Peter was an exceptional student who has been producing some of the best stonemasonry work the college has seen.

He recently helped create the three large panels installed at the new Tesco store on Portland, won last year’s Boss Stone competition and is currently competing again this year.

Peter said: “My inspiration came from, not only the exceptionally worthy cause, but also the thought of designing a monument that will be positioned in the gateway to Weymouth and Portland, something for my son to see for ever more.”

John Fannon from the Thomas Foxwell Buxton Society said: “The attention to detail Peter put into the competition was second to none. He even produced a full size model of the finished design.”

Peter will now begin work as the project manager working with Albion Stone and the other stonemasonry staff and students at the college to produce the finished monument in time for the Olympics next year.

Thomas Fowell Buxton, whose family built and lived in Belfield House in Weymouth for many years, was considered an important “do gooder” of his time. Thomas was the successor of William Wilberforce as he took forward the campaign to abolish slavery which was passed by the Government in 1833. Thomas was also the MP for Weymouth & Melcombe Regis from 1818 until 1837.

Society members were particularly keen to partner the college on this project as Sir Thomas had been keen on education for all. During his first job at a London brewery his first act was to employ a teacher so that all his employees could learn or improve reading and writing skills.

PICTURE: MONUMENT WINNER - From the left, Ben Buxton, James Buxton, Sue Moore, Peter Loizou shaking hands with Weymouth and Portland Mayor Paul Kimber, John Fannon, Joyce Fannon, Mike Martin, Allan Rogers and Rex Witts. Front is Luke Bachelor.

WEYMOUTH: Student winner to create monument to Sir Thomas

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