{"id":499983,"date":"2026-03-28T11:26:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T11:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/499983\/"},"modified":"2026-03-28T11:26:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T11:26:28","slug":"maryports-iconic-alauna-aurora-sculpture-has-been-restored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/499983\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryport’s iconic Alauna Aurora sculpture has been restored"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n Residents of Maryport voiced their concerns about the condition of The Alauna Aurora earlier this month<\/a>, as significant rust had formed around the metalwork sculpture.\n<\/p>\n

\n The Alauna Aurora has been situ on Maryport Harbour since 2018 and depicts a number of the town’s landmarks and historic moments.\n<\/p>\n

\n Maryport Town Council<\/a> has acted quickly to address the rust and the feature has now been repainted.\n<\/p>\n

\n The Alauna Aurora earlier this month, before being restored. (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n

\n A contractor was on-site last week to repaint the sculpture, ensuring it looks its best for Maryport’s summer tourism trade.\n<\/p>\n

\n Maryport’s \u00a312million regeneration<\/a> is continuing apace, contributing to a 35 per cent increase in footfall.\n<\/p>\n

\n The scheme has already seen the unveiling of a redeveloped activity centre, updated play park, an art trail and boardwalk.\n<\/p>\n

\n Public realm improvements include a new outdoor seating area by the harbourside, which can be used for outdoor performances.\n<\/p>\n

\n Still in the pipeline are the redevelopment of the Carlton Cinema as a cultural hub<\/a> and the reopening of the Maritime Museum in the former Christ Church building.\n<\/p>\n

\n A spokesperson for Maryport Town Council told the Times & Star earlier this month that the Alauna Aurora is maintained annually but “the work required can only be done weather permitting.”\n<\/p>\n

\n A plaque detailing the historical significance of images on the sculpture. (Image: Newsquest)\n<\/p>\n

\n Residents were given the opportunity to name the sculpture when it was first installed, many submissions were a variation on ‘Alauna,’ which was the Roman word for the area in antiquity.\n<\/p>\n

\n The Alauna Aurora proudly displays the RMS Titanic<\/a> and the HMS Bounty, referencing Maryport’s connection to the historic ships.\n<\/p>\n

\n Joseph Middleton, the great-grandfather of Thomas Henry Ismay, opened a shipyard in Maryport in 1810.\n<\/p>\n

\n Mr Ismay famously became the founder of the White Star Line, which built The Titanic.\n<\/p>\n

\n SUBSCRIBE TO SUPPORT TRUSTED LOCAL JOURNALISM<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Maryport also has a strong connection to the HMS Bounty, as Fletcher Christian, who led a notorious mutiny on the ship, was born in the Maryport area.\n<\/p>\n

\n The Alauna Aurora also depicts the war memorial on Fleming Square, a familiar sight for the people of Maryport.\n<\/p>\n

\n A steam train visible on the left flank references the key role Maryport played in the transportation of coal.\n<\/p>\n

\n This was achieved via the Maryport and Carlisle<\/a> Railway, constructed in the mid-19th century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Residents of Maryport voiced their concerns about the condition of The Alauna Aurora earlier this month, as significant…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":499984,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-499983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=499983"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/499983\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/499984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=499983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=499983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=499983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}