Giles' Grandma Character

This statue is situated on the corner of Princes Street and Queens Street, and shows "Grandma" and various other characters from his well known and very popular cartoon strip. Is there a local connection? Well yes, because for many years he used a first-floor drawing office that looked down on the area where the statue is now. The statue was unveiled on 4th September 1993 by the actor Warren Mitchell.

In the spring of 1995, there was a very popular exhibition of Giles' work at the Wolsey Gallery, here in Ipswich, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his debut as a Fleet Street cartoonist.

The statue was modelled by ex-Ipswich Art School student Miles Robinson in close consultation with Carl Giles. Not an easy task, turning two-dimensional characters into a solid form, but one that he accomplished well.