A company owner is upset that the council wants him to take down a 30-foot golden gladiator monument from outside his store because one lone “killjoy” said it was offensive.
When the statue of a Roman icon was hauled down on Tuesday, Grant Adamson, 57, said it was a “sad day.”
The proprietor of a vintage shop believes that despite how much Ince, Greater Manchester, residents adored the landmark, they thought municipal leaders had ordered it to go.
He stated that when one individual objected to the nudity, there was a “planning permit disagreement.”
Grant’s Bulldog Forge owner, Mr. Adamson, defended the statue, saying that if it had been placed there by Michelangelo, “I’d have everyone in the world come around gazing at him.”
According to Mr. Adamson, many have responded to the removal of the gleaming monument on social media.
The landowner, not Mr. Adamson, who put the monument up in June, was the one with whom Wigan Council said it had been in contact.
The Scarisbrick, Lancashire, resident, who is 57 years old, said: “It was a terrible day [when it was taken away].”
He receives a lot of comments regarding the size of his manhood since he is not well-hung. I have a hard time understanding whiners.
“When I originally posted it, a few people asked, “What’s that?” One lady said she could only see a large golden bottom while travelling to Wigan.
I instructed her to wait until she was returning the opposite way. It has served as a useful discussion topic.
Grant’s Bulldog Forge owner Mr. Adamson defended the monument, saying, “If that were placed there by Michelangelo, I’d have everyone in the world come around gazing at him.”
The complaint I received came from a guy who, at the time I believed to be a customer, walked in and said, “That gold man, it’s disgusting, it needs removal.”
“My colleague and I exchanged glances as if to ask, “Is he winding us up?””
“The council should be looking at a lot of other things instead of concentrating on a poor old gold miner,”
It has been there since June, he continued. The statue was acquired by my landlady at some point.
It had been in storage for a long time, but he kept telling me that “the gold guy needed to make an appearance,” so in June it finally emerged. Although it has been there since June, everyone laughed when I posted pictures of it on Facebook the day it first debuted.
People have actually been snapping selfies within the compound and asking for pictures with him.
It was challenging. Three years ago, we established the firm. After that, there was a lockdown, after which we resumed operations before being shut down once again.
He’s been a popular tourist destination, which has benefited the local economy since everyone knows where “the gold man” is.
‘The complaint I received was from a guy around four weeks ago, I believed he was a shopper, he came in and said ‘that gold man, it’s outrageous, it needs moving,” Mr. Adamson (pictured) recalled.
“It was excellent for the store, and I could point people in the direction of the shop there by saying, “Take the next left at the gold guy.”
“I’ve had thousands and thousands of people [on social media] comment ‘that’s out of order,’ and when they’re coming into Wigan, it makes them grin,” she said.
Wigan residents are “going crazy.”
On Monday, the landlord had it removed, but Mr. Adamson is hoping that it will be put back.
I have a buddy who comes in with his three-year-old grandson, he said.
He [the boy] claims he’s going to “check if the gold man’s there” as they are using the café in the store.
I get a lot of folks with kids that come in giggling, and that’s only one. Everything seems that one pessimist spoiled it for everyone.
“If he returns, it’ll lift my spirits and assist with the business,” she said. I’m having some mugs produced with his image on them; any proceeds will be donated to Wigan Hospice.
The council has been in contact with the landowner on the need for the necessary planning approval for the statue, according to a Wigan Council spokeswoman.
“The monument has just recently been removed, therefore the Council is currently examining its next measures in accordance with its standard procedures,” it says.
Social media was swamped with comments from people bemoaning the loss of the statue on the shop’s post.
One person asked whether Wigan Council authorities would oppose to Michelangelo’s Statue of David. There are lots of nudes in the Sistine Chapel ceiling or maybe even in some of the paintings there.
Another person said: “His pert buttocks helped me get through some sometimes difficult 12-hour night shifts. I have lost my nightly giggle to work in awe of it.”
“Then, on the drive home, I saw his exquisitely wrought crown jewels.” You lovely golden Adonis, farewell.
One person wrote: “I’ll miss driving by and seeing the gold buttocks sparkling on my way to the hairdresser. He always makes my morning better.
Another person asked: “What’s the issue? If you like it, look at it, or don’t go by it, I’m certain [the] council should be concerned with more important issues than this monument. It isn’t hurting anyone.