The highly anticipated restoration of the Hercules statue in the Ballarat Botanical Gardens has begun, thanks to a generous community donation.
In April 2023, the statue was removed from the gardens for a thorough assessment after annual maintenance identified instability issues. A detailed offsite evaluation revealed that the statue was in critical condition, necessitating urgent restoration, especially to stabilise the pins connecting its parts, the City of Ballarat announced at the time.
The age and material of the statue require meticulous conservation methods.
While basic repairs were covered by the City of Ballarat’s annual maintenance budget, the more extensive restoration is being funded by a donation from Richard Thege.
His contribution will also support the conservation of the entire Stoddart Collection, starting with the Hercule’ statue expected to return to the Ballarat Botanical Gardens later this year.
Key restoration tasks for Hercules include:
- Replacement of the internal structure
- Repair of discoloured areas and past faulty repairs
- Fixing cracks
- Further stabilisation
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson, expressed gratitude for the donation, emphasising the historical importance of the statue to Ballarat and the botanical gardens.
Carved from Carrara marble with a pedestal of Sicilian marble and a base of local Victorian granite, Hercules is one of 12 marble statues gifted to the gardens by local stockbroker Thomas Stoddart.
While the conservation team works on the Hercules statue offsite, restoration of other statues, including Hebe, Autumn, and Bacchante, will continue at the Ballarat Botanical Gardens.
The entire Stoddart Collection restoration is expected to be completed by Spring 2024.
