A STATUE of Our Lady has been returned to its 137-year-old home as part of a college's anniversary celebrations.

Staff and students at Stonyhurst, in Hurst Green, have welcomed the reinstallation of a cast iron likeness.

Expert conservation advice was sought after it was found an iron armature, which kept the globe and figure of the edifice together, had structural problems.

Rupert Harris, an internationally renowned sculpture consultant, was drafted in to examine the statue, otherwise known as Our Lady of the Avenue, which was modelled on a celebrated work, the Colonna della Immacolata, near the Piazza di Spagna in Rome.

A Stonyhurst spokesman said: "She was taken down to his studio and foundry in East London, where a new steel armature was made.

"The globe on which the statue stands was in very poor condition and required numerous internal braces to strengthen it.

"The figure of the angel on the front of the globe was missing, and a new figure was modelled and cast, based on the statue in Rome."

Under the conservator's watchful eye, the final stages of the restoration incorporated two distinct elements.

Firstly a fresh coat of paint, a marble effect, was applied, to protect the cast iron exterior from the elements.

Then a new halo of 12 stars was fashioned, as the statue's had gone missing at some point, gilded with 23-carat gold.

Work on the sculpture was funded by donations made by Stonyhurst alumni Lawrence Leong and de St-John Pryce family, with Stonyhurst marking its 425th year in 2019.

Once the statue was winched back into place, a short service was held to officially bless the figure, followed by a celebration at St Peter's Catholic Club.

Thomas Eyre, the brother of then-Stonyhurst rector Fr William Eyre, donated £200 towards the original monument, which is thought to have arrived on or around the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in December 1882.

Design work was undertaken by Edward Hansom, who was responsible for the college's south front, and it was cast in Paris.

Further commemorations are planned for the statue when pupils start the summer term.