Hoveringham Gravels Ltd mammoth sculpture on its way home thanks to Hoveringham Vintage Vehicle Society

When the new head office for Hoveringham Gravels Ltd was opened October 18, 1965, a sculpture was commissioned from the distinguished scientist, author and sculptor, Kim James.

The abstract structure ­— which was 23ft high and weighed over four tonnes ­—represented the company trademark, the mammoth, chosen after mammoth remains were found in their workings.

The Hoveringham Group was bought by Tarmac in December 1981 but the mammoth remained outside the former head office until the late 1990s when it was donated by Tarmac to Nottingham Trent University, and was re-erected outside their engineering department.

There it remained ­— until now.

In January 2019 members of the Hoveringham Vintage Vehicle Society (HVVS) started to explore the possibility of returning the mammoth to its original home.

Tarmac was consulted regarding their gifting to the university and confirmation of ownership, and, as a result of their support and positive response, negotiations started with Nottingham Trent University, which culminated in HVVS receiving the necessary deed of gift document in June this year.

HVVS were now the proud owners of a rusty old mammoth and in July, with help from Hutchinson Engineering, the mammoth was set free, lifted and transported from the Clifton Campus to Thurgarton where it awaits refurbishment by Yates Egineering before being re-sited.

HVVS will be managing fundraising to cover planning, site development, associated materials and future maintenance.

For more details, go to the Hoveringham Gravels Ltd Facebook page.