Wellingborough's iconic Arndale dragon Arnie renovated and ready

A much-loved 80s icon has been returned to Wellingborough after a six-year absence and a four-year makeover project of careful carpentery and clever crafting.

Arnie the Dragon was originally placed in Wellingborough’s Arndale Centre - the shopping complex now known as the Swansgate Centre.

When the shopping centre was refurbished in the early 2000s, Arnie was moved to the Green Dragon Hotel in Higham Ferrers where it spent several years in the beer garden.

The wooden indoor play sculpture deteriorated in the elements but museum volunteer Keith Burman, helped by Billing carpenter Perry Allen, has rebuilt the children's favourite apparatus for Wellingborough Museum.

Mr Burman said: "It wouldn't have been possible without Perry and his workshop."

The labour of love saw the delipitated wooden structure being recontructed piece by piece, the orginal plywood panels replaced by stronger flexible wooden sheets.

Parts of the tail had to be re-engineered by Mr Burman with lockdown providing time to complete the project.

He said: "I used the orginal rotten panels as templates because they were only held on by nails. I kept the pieces in the garage - it kept me busy in lockdown.

"If you ask anyone who grew up in Wellingborough they will remember the dragon outside Boots. My children played on it."

The dragon was saved for Wellingborough Museum in 2016. It had been fenced off in the mid-1990s and then finally removed in 2002 and stored for six years after being painted green for the pub garden.

In 2016 the dragon, made by artist Peter Hand, was obtained by the museum.

Robert Wharton from Wellingborough Museum said: "Keith and Perry have done an amazing job.

"Perry offered to help because he grew up in Wellingborough and remembered playing on the dragon. Many children remember banging their heads on the dragon but Keith has redesigned it so children exit away from the dragon's fangs. They are far less likely to hit their heads.

"We would like to thank Crown Decorating Centre Wellingborough for providing the paint, and Red Top Removals and Storage for helping us to move it to the museum."

Testing the sculpture at the museum was eight-year-old Molly Arundell-Holland from Raunds who successfully crawled her way through the dragon.

She said: "I enjoyed that, it was very good."

The dragon is now on lockable trolley wheels so it can be moved easily outdoors for when the weather is dry and will be on display when the museum reopens after the pandemic is over.