Boudica, Turner Rise, Colchester

“It is fast becoming an icon for Colchester”
David McCaskey, The Hospitality Review, April 2009

From the centre of Colchester’s North Station roundabout, the 5.2-metre Boudica casts a commanding presence over the town. Her prominent form, clearly visible from the main railway line, is a modern-day effigy of the warrior queen, who fought against the Roman occupation of Colchester in 60 AD. With her outstretched shield and gravity-defying hair, she is made to look invincible, her very being constructed out of aluminium armour.

Boudica was jointly commissioned by the local Asda and the City & Council Developments in 1999. At this point, Jonathan had been experimenting with figure sculptures for years: see for example his winged creature, Monument to Deadalus, acquired by Norwich Castle Green in 1995. After Boudica, Jonathan’s preoccupation with figures, and particularly heads, continued. A special monograph, entitled Head On, was commissioned by Chappel Galleries and written by art historian David Buckman in 2000.