It's been confirmed there'll be an official launch for the Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham
The statue of Baroness Thatcher was quietly unveiled on Sunday
Last updated 17th May 2022
It's been revealed Grantham’s new Margret Thatcher statue will receive an official unveiling ceremony.
It was installed early on Sunday morning to little fanfare and had been egged by a protestor within two hours.
In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue - which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.
Despite its unveiling being delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the statue was erected on a 10ft-high granite plinth on Sunday morning.
A CCTV camera has been installed directly opposite the memorial to attempt to combat any threats of vandalism, the council said.
A man in a white T-shirt was seen holding an egg carton in one hand and preparing to throw an egg from the other on Sunday.
Egg residue and a piece of shell could be seen on the statue's lower half.
Police turned up at the scene within minutes of the incident.
In a statement, a Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said: "We have received reports of criminal damage to the Margaret Thatcher statue shortly after 10am this morning (May 15).
"No arrests have been made".
Amanda Schonhut Director of Fundraising at Grantham Museum says that they’re not trying to brush the project under the carpet.
"There is going to be an unveiling ceremony so it's not that we're trying to install the statue quietly and everybody move on - nothing to look at here."
"That's not the case at all, it's just that with all the various partners involved we've got to make sure we're all on the same page."
A number of motorists driving past the Margaret Thatcher statue in Grantham could be heard booing loudly.
One man shouted "tear it down" while another said "this is no good for Grantham, is it?"
Despite the noisy criticisms, a number of people stopped by the statue to take selfies.
Before planning permission was given to the statue, the only marking of Baroness Thatcher in the town was a plaque on the corner of North Parade and Broad Street to show where she was born.
A council spokesman said the Public Memorials Appeal, which funded the monument through donations, will host an official unveiling ceremony at a later date.
Leader of South Kesteven District Council Kelham Cooke said "we must never hide from our history", adding it is "appropriate the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham".
He said: "This memorial statue of the late Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven will be a fitting tribute to a truly unique political figure.
"Margaret Thatcher will always be a significant part of Grantham's heritage. She and her family have close ties with Grantham. She was born, raised and went to school here.
"It is, therefore, appropriate that she is commemorated by her home town and that the debate that surrounds her legacy takes place here in Grantham.
"We must never hide from our history and this memorial will be a talking point for generations to come."
The statue, standing at just over 20ft high, is situated in between two existing statues of Sir Isaac Newton and Frederick Tollemache in the town's Civic Quarter.
Councillor Cooke added: "We hope that this memorial will encourage others to visit Grantham and to see where she lived and visit the exhibition of her life in Grantham Museum.