''The Steel Man'' will be a 32-metre-high sculpture and visitor centre located in Rotherham (J34,M1), forming a landmark gateway to

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

. The project began with a simple idea to create a landmark artwork and visitor centre that would act as a beacon for the Yorkshire region and a catalyst for change: The 32-metre-high

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's corros ...

sculpture will be built in Sheffield, a city steeped in the history of steel production for generations. The Steel Man will honour the people and places that forged this heritage of Steel and it will highlight the new technologies and specialised manufacturing that is helping to generate the northern powerhouse. Schools, universities and other educational facilities have embraced the project which will stand as a totemic symbol of British manufacturing and innovation. The sculpture and visitor centre project is widely supported by

Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council is the local authority of the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of four in South Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan countie ...

and a coalition of local companies and other organizations. It will stand on land provided by

FCC Environment FCC Environment (UK) Limited is a waste management company headquartered in Northampton, United Kingdom and a wholly owned subsidiary of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas. It was formed in May 2012 through the merger and rebranding of Focsa S ...

, (one of the world's largest waste services companies) next to the

M1 motorway The M1 motorway connects London to Leeds, where it joins the A1(M) near Aberford, to connect to Newcastle. It was the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the UK; the first motorway in the country was the Preston By-pass, which lat ...

Kimberworth Kimberworth is a suburb of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. It is located in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham, about 2.2 miles (3.5 km) north-west of Rotherham town centre and 4.7 miles (7.6 km) north-east of the City of Sh ...

in Rotherham,

South Yorkshire South Yorkshire is a ceremonial and metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of Doncaster and Sheffield as well as the boroughs of Barnsley and Rotherham. In N ...

, England. A 99-year lease has been provided by the landowners and work is expected to begin in 2017. The figure will be made from

, recognizing the important development of stainless steel by

Harry Brearley Harry Brearley (18 February 1871 – 14 July 1948) was an English metallurgist, credited with the invention of "rustless steel" (later to be called "stainless steel" in the anglophone world). Based in Sheffield, his invention brought affordabl ...

in Sheffield more than 100 years ago. It will sit on a coal-black column, which will honor the region's huge coal seams. The column will include an observation deck accessible by a lift and stairs. The sculpture will be widely visible to passing traffic travelling on the M1 across the

Tinsley Viaduct Tinsley Viaduct is a two-tier road bridge in Sheffield, England; it was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. It carries the M1 and the A631 for a distance of over the Don Valley, from Tinsley to Wincobank, also crossing the Sheffield ...

and visitors to Meadowhall with a combined potential audience of many millions of people a year. The sculpture will overlook the site of the former Tinsley Towers (

Blackburn Meadows Blackburn Meadows is an area of land just inside the Sheffield city border at Tinsley, England. It became the location of the main sewage treatment works for the city in 1884, and is now one of the largest treatment works in Britain. The treat ...

) and provide a landmark as well as a catalyst for tourism and inward investment.

Heritage Lottery Fund The National Lottery Heritage Fund, formerly the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), distributes a share of National Lottery funding, supporting a wide range of heritage projects across the United Kingdom. History The fund's predecessor bodies were ...

: The Steel Man was awarded Heritage Lottery Funding support in April 2016. The award helped fund an important education strategy and scoping research for sustainable income in the future. The award also enabled the design stage for an eco-friendly Interpretation Hub, which will include an exhibition space, café and a shop. Heart of Steel Appeal: The 'Heart of Steel' appeal was launched in July 2014 and has become an important part of The Steel Man: a 2.5 metre 1.5 tonne Heart of Steel will sit inside the figure, with up to 150,000 names of people from across the region engraved on it. Thousands of people with local connections and personal recollections have already donated to support the project. The Rotherham Heart of Steel is a full-size replica of the 'Heart of Steel' and was unveiled in the Minster Gardens in Rotherham town centre on 4 July 2015. The Steel Man charity - Yorkshire Icon Ltd (reg no 1159282) - recently announced the

British Heart Foundation The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is a cardiovascular research charity in the United Kingdom. It funds medical research related to heart and circulatory diseases and their risk factors, and runs influencing work aimed at shaping public policy ...

has now officially adopted the 'Heart of Steel' and the income will support the BHF and their important work in life-saving heart research. Man of Steel 1

''The Steel Man'' project still needs further funding and a major new fundraising campaign is underway. BBC News, Sheffield & South Yorkshire.
M1 Man of Steel sculpture plans approved

References

External links

{{commons category, Man of Steel (sculpture) Buildings and structures in Rotherham Outdoor sculptures in England