A MOMENT in English civil war history has now been immortalised in a new statue installed at a Stourbridge park.

The Mayor of Dudley - councillor Doreen Ameson - officially unveiled the new sculpture of Royalist cavalry commander Prince Rupert, nephew of King Charles I, who hid down a well at Wollescote Hall to escape Parliamentary forces after a skirmish on Stourbridge Common during 1645.

Carver Graham Jones created the four-metre piece of artwork, designed by borough artist Steve Field, from a single piece of sweet chestnut.

Funded with £6,500 from the Arts Council and central government, the sculpture was brought to fruition and officially unveiled at a family fun event at Stevens Park, Wollescote, on August 25, following a campaign by the Friends of Wollescote Park and Dudley Council.

A decorative fence to go round the statue, created by metalworker Robert Foxall Colley, was also unveiled at the event.

Councillor David Stanley, Dudley’s cabinet member for environment and culture, said:“On behalf of all our residents I would like to thank The Friends of Wollescote Park for playing a huge role in securing funding for the statue.

“It is a stunning piece that will really add to the beauty of Wollescote Park and will no doubt be enjoyed for generations to come.”