MORE than 1,000 years after his last visit to the town which bears his name, King Canute has returned to Knutsford – in the shape of an 'amazing wooden statue'.
After three years of waiting due to the pandemic, wood carver Andy Burgess' likeness of the Danish king was unveiled at the Knutsford Heritage Centre on Friday (June 9).
Guests were invited to a special ceremony celebrating Knutsford's connection with King Canute, who reigned over England, Denmark and Norway until his death in 1035.
These included Lord Ashbrook and the Lord Lieutenant of Cheshire Lady Redmond MBE as well as Agusta Thorarinsdottir, the honorary consul of Denmark in Manchester stepping in for Danish ambassador René Dinesen who was unfortunately held up in London.
And, after a wonderful unveiling ceremony, heritage centre manager Val Bryant was delighted with Andy's work.
She said: "It is a magnificent statue that Andy has done for us. It's absolutely amazing.
"He's pulled out all the stops. He's done a brilliant job.
"When the velvet silk fell to the floor, everyone went 'wow!' and couldn't believe what they were looking at.
"It took three years to get to that point on Friday. It was worth the wait though, it's amazing.
"It was a real honour to have those people at the unveiling. It will go down in our archives as one terrific event.
"He's now here for generations to come to learn about that legend and we'll hopefully be having schools in to see him."
Following speeches on the history of Canute and the friendship between Denmark and the UK, Knutsford town mayor Peter Coan thanked all in attendance for making the day such a special occasion before raising a toast to two kings – Canute and His Majesty Charles III.
Val, who is passionate about Knutsford and has lived in the town for more than 50 years, added: "I've always thought Knutsford should have a statue of King Canute, because that is where we get our name from.
"Cunetesford is in the Domesday Book of 1086 and I don't think a lot of people realise the strong connection we have.
"The legend of whether King Canute came through Knutsford, we don't know - but we're sticking to the legend.
"We're very proud of the connection that we have and Friday was a very special day. We should celebrate him more."
Andy's sculpture is based on an image of Canute on the altar front at Winchester Cathedral.
Thanking David Rymill, the archivist at Winchester Cathedral and Canon Riem, for allowing use of the image, Val added: "We're very highly honoured to have that permission."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here