The Lakes Estate Dinosaur
The Lakes Estate dinosaur, which was created as part of a community art project at Sir Herbert Leon School, has now been removed to make way for the redevelopment of the Lakes Estate area. Warren Park, also known as Dinosaur Park, is needed for Milton Keynes City Council regeneration works next year.
The massive statue was built by artist Bill Billings with students from Leon School on the Lakes Estate in the early 1990s. It was the idea of the then headmaster Bruce Abbott, who wanted a sculpture at the bottom of the school field which would be the first thing passengers on trains entering MK from London would see.
He recruited local author David Ashcroft to help. “Originally Bruce thought of a series of Easter Island heads along the bottom of the field but I felt this was too ambitious and needed something different. It was Bruce’s idea but he passed it to me to make happen,” said David.
“At the time Jurassic Park was a popular film from Stephen Spielberg. Local community artist Bill Billings had constructed the Peartree Bridge Dinosaur so I persuade Headmaster Abbott to opt for Leonasaurus – The Leon Dinosaur. I applied for and was granted planning permission then engaged Bill Billings to work with Leon Students to construct the giant sculpture. I am still in contact with many students who were involved in the project. A time capsule was placed inside the dinosaur’s stomach.”
Years later, Leon changed management and it was decided to move the dinosaur off the school premises and onto the nearby recreation ground.
Now in the ownership of MK Council, the statue sadly fell into disrepair. Chunks were missing from its body and tail and it was in dire need of a prehistoric facelift. Bletchley and Fenny Stratford Town Council said that the cost of restoring and removing the statue proved “prohibitive” in spite of a campaign by residents to save it.
An event to celebrate the dinosaur was held by The Locals of the Lakes Residents Association on 29th December 2023, with local residents invited to attend and say goodbye to the statue. Milton Keynes City Council has commissioned a 3D scan of the statue and this will be available for use in future artwork or community projects when the time comes.
This collection features some images of the dinosaur at various points in its existence, along with some of our images of The Warren adventure playground, Leon School and life of the Lakes in the early days.
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