King Kong in Birmingham - A Birmingham Gem!

King Kong is a Birmingham legend and with the help of developers Cordia Blackswan, King Kong has been brought back to Birmingham.  


Heralded by Birmingham-based property developer Cordia Blackswan, the company have worked closely alongside Nicholas Monro (the original sculptor) and family, particularly his son, Joe and his daughter, Maude, to bring a new and improved King Kong back to the city in a pop-up park – King Kong Park at Great Hampton Row.

A 7m tall King Kong sculpture, created by Gloucestershire-based RoboCarv, now forms the centrepiece of the park.

Aesthetically identical to the original sculpture, Cordia Blackswan worked closely with original artist Nicholas Monro and his family to bring a bigger, and structurally sound King Kong back to life to return a piece of history to the city that will stand the test of time.

 

 

Located on Great Hampton Row in the Jewellery Quarter, the park is easily accessible from the city centre with great transport links.

 

About Great Hampton Street and Cordia Blackswan

With nine developments located along Great Hampton Street, Cordia Blackswan has a masterplan to transform the key gateway route into the city, which has suffered significant under-investment in recent years. Their developments offer a mix of uses, including build-to-rent and Birmingham’s first shared living scheme.

Marcus Hawley, Managing Director at Cordia Blackswan, said: “Birmingham holds a very special place for us as a developer and we are committed to supporting the city in realising its ambitions to be a world-class destination.

“For those of us that remember the original Kong, it’s time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his first visit to the city. While it’s an honour to bring a piece of Birmingham’s history back to life, we hope people will ‘go ape’ over the park we’re creating, bringing the community spirit back to Great Hampton Row.

 

Project dates

23 Jun 2022 - On-going

Passions

Art; Culture & creativity

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Jonathan Bostock

0121 410 5520
jonathan.bostock@ yourplaceyourspace.com

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Art; Culture & creativity
27 Aug 2023 - Elliott Brown 		Gallery

King Kong at Nortons Digbeth by Gent 48

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While the King Kong that was formerly at 'King Kong Park' in 2022 is now gone, there is another King Kong to see. Remember 'Forward in Unity' at Nortons Digbeth for Art 4 Charity? Well Gent 48 has come back and replaced it with a mural of King Kong. Also images of the BT Tower and Rotunda. Seen from Meriden Street.

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King Kong at Nortons Digbeth by Gent 48





While the King Kong that was formerly at 'King Kong Park' in 2022 is now gone, there is another King Kong to see. Remember 'Forward in Unity' at Nortons Digbeth for Art 4 Charity? Well Gent 48 has come back and replaced it with a mural of King Kong. Also images of the BT Tower and Rotunda. Seen from Meriden Street.


I noticed that the 'Forward in Unity' mural, painted by Gent 48 back in the summer 2020, during the pandemic had been painted over. So I travelled to Digbeth during the August Bank Holiday Weekend 2023 to see it up close.

The location as before is at Nortons Digbeth.

 

The wall now reads I ♥ BRUM, GUINNESS PLEASE BAB! also My My GUINNESS

A giant King Kong, the same one as the recration that was at King Kong Park last year from July to about October 2022.

The Rotunda resembles the way it was from the mid 1960s until before it was refurbished in the 2000s.

The top of the BT Tower has some satellite dishes, all of which are now removed from the top of it.

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King Kong can be seen from passing buses on the Digbeth High Street if looking up Meriden Street (near the Eastside Metro extension).

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Photography by Elliott Brown

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22 Jul 2022 - Daniel Sturley 		News & Updates

King Kong back where he belongs - unveiling day!

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Following all the excitement, Friday 22nd July, 2022 was finally here. Crowds gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Yes, King Kong is back in the city, and he's even bigger than before!

Enjoy our wonderful gallery of photos compiled with the help of our community and followers of Birmingham Gems. 

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King Kong back where he belongs - unveiling day!





Following all the excitement, Friday 22nd July, 2022 was finally here. Crowds gathered for the ribbon cutting ceremony. Yes, King Kong is back in the city, and he's even bigger than before!

Enjoy our wonderful gallery of photos compiled with the help of our community and followers of Birmingham Gems. 


The Birmingham Gems team arrived early to get a few shots of the King before the ceremony.

This giant of a sculpture modelled on the original King Kong is over 7 metres tall.  He's impressive and the artwork is wonderful!

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Nicholas Monro, the sculptor behind the original statue of King Kong, made of fibre-glass and displayed in Birmingham 50 years ago, was represented at the ceremony by his two sons Joe and Claud.

dndimg alt="" dndsrc="../uploadedfiles/IMG_6572b_KONG(1).jpg" style="width: 100%;" />

Sculptors RoboCarv worked with Mr Monro and his family to create the replica which is significantly bigger than the 1970s original.

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Cordia Blackswan, developers of many of the builds and re-development occurring along and around Great Hampton Street, are responsible for seeing this project come to fruition. 

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Marcus Hawley, founder and managing director of Cordia Blackswan makes an extremely important point about the connection between art, commmunity and the role of place-makers,

"xxxxxxx

 

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Photography by Daniel Sturley

 

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