Gerry Marsden tribute statue could be coming to the banks of the Mersey

Merseyside pop legend Gerry Marsden could be honoured with a life-sized statue on the banks of the river which inspired his most famous composition, Ferry Across the Mersey.

Artist Laura Lian, whose 6 foot bronze of John Lennon will be on display in Amsterdam at the prestigious Art Zuid “Imagine’ theme exhibition, starting on July 1^st, came up with the idea last November. Sadly, Gerry passed away on January 3^rd this year but Laura is still keen for the statue to be commissioned as a lasting tribute to the star.

Laura’s sketch of the proposed statue of Gerry Marsden

“I was approached by architects last year who were working on a new housing development in the Liverpool Marina, not far from where Gerry was born and brought up in the Dingle. 

“They wanted me to come up with something historical so after doing some research I came up with the concept of Gerry strumming his guitar on a bench depicting the theme of his song ‘Ferry Cross the Mersey’.

“I was so sad when I heard that he had passed away as I was so looking forward to meeting him, being a huge fan. I really wanted to the statue to be up while he was alive.

Laura and her Lennon statue

“Since then, the Marina development plans have gone on hold and the sketch was shown to the family, which they really liked, so we are now looking for a suitable site for the statue and then funding.

“For me, the perfect location would be the Mersey ferry terminal, so we’ve contacted Merseytravel and we hope they’ll back the plans too.

“I’m keen that the statue will raise money for charity via a QR code on the base, like the Lennon statue.”

Laura Lian’s travelling John Lennon Peace Statue has been showcased at The Penny Lane Development Trust in Liverpool from September 2020 until March 2021 where it’s been raising money for local charities in between lockdowns.

It will be coming back from Amsterdam to be exhibited in the middle of Penny Lane in front of St. Barnabas’ Church in October 2021, just a few hundred yards from Lennon’s first house at 9 Newcastle Rd where he lived before he moved in with his aunt Mimi and uncle George in Menlove Ave.