A four-metre tall sculpture of a wooden radio has been approved for the Cardiff Bay Barrage after plans were submitted back in April. The new sculpture will celebrate Flat Holm Island, and will take the shape of a radio. A radio signal transmitted from Lavernock Point near Cardiff and Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel in 1897 was the first of its kind to be delivered across the sea and paved the way for a thriving radio industry that has endured for over a century.
The hardwood sculpture will sit on a concrete plinth around halfway along the Barrage. Its construction was approved by Cardiff Council on Wednesday, August 31, and it will be built just south of the existing Scott memorial, around halfway down the Barrage.
READ MORE: Living on Flat Holm island during lockdown by the only man who lives there
The design of the sculpture is designed to incorporate an old radio transmitter and will be part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project "Flat Holm - A Walk Through Time." The project will include the transformation of the island with guided tours to explore its rich and varied history.
Guglielmo Marconi's early experiments on Flat Holm were the start of the commercial rise of his Wireless Signal and Telegraph Company, and a Welsh radio culture that came following it. Marconi decided to use Flat Holm for his transmission after travelling to the UK in search of funding for his projects.
He found the backing of Welshman William Henry Preece, a big name in the Post Office and someone who had also experimented with wireless telegraphy.
Plans for the statute were placed under review over Marconi's links to the regime of Benito Mussolini. Documents discovered in 2002 showed that Marconi had prevented Jewish scientists from joining his Academy of Italy. He was put in charge of the institution by Mussolini himself, making him a member of the Grand Council of Fascism.
Now, following a full review of the plans, the sculpture will go ahead but with no reference to Marconi. A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “The work carried out by Marconi is just one small part of Flat Holm island’s fascinating history, which stretches all the way back to the Bronze Age. The purpose of the proposed sculpture has always been to act as a symbol, to engage people on the mainland, and encourage them to explore the full range of the island’s history, without having to physically visit the island – although we would of course love them to do that, just to see what an amazing place it is.
“None of that history, good or bad, can be deleted, but we have a responsibility to learn from it, and ensure it is presented in a way that’s consistent with Cardiff’s values as a tolerant and welcoming city, where equality and diversity is championed and celebrated. Therefore, while the intention is to move forward with the initial ‘Radio Flat Holm' design, following a full review of the plans, there will be no reference to Marconi on the sculpture.
“The content being developed as part of the “Flat Holm: A Walk Through Time” project website, which will be accessible via a QR code on the sculpture, will not just make reference to Flat Holm as a location in early radio experiments, but will also explain the significant role it has played in assisting vessels navigating the Severn estuary, protecting the port of Cardiff from cholera, and during WWII when more than 350 soldiers were stationed on the island.
"To be clear - the council in no way condones Marconi’s links to fascism and antisemitism. The sculpture will be a celebration of Flat Holm in its entirety, enabling us to better connect people in Cardiff Bay with the isolated island that will be visible from the sculpture location on the Barrage.”
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