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Title
Our Eric
Date
2020
Medium
Corten steel, bronze & ceramic tile
Accession number
SS99_TJ_S744
Acquisition method
commissioned by Bellway Homes and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council
Work type
Statue
Owner
Southend on Sea Council
Custodian
Southend Museums
Work status
extant
Access
at all times
Inscription description
information plaque (circular inscription): In recognition of Eric Kirkham Cole CBE (1901–1966) and the workers of EKCO / by Anne Schwegmann-Fielding, with Tamsin Evans and Michael Condron; centre: "Our Eric" / Eric K. Cole built the EKCO factory on this site / in 1930. The brand soon became a world leader in / many aspects of electronics and nucleonics. / A much loved employer, he was a pioneer in establishing / apprenticeships, paid holidays, workplace pensions and an / employee's sports and social club. At its peak the company was / the main employer of the town employing over 8,000 people in Essex. / During the second world war EKCO became a key developer of wartime / technology, with Eric personally designing the circuitry used to help crack the enigma code. / The sculpture is a dedication to all ECKO employees. "Our Eric" stands on the plinth but his suit makes it clear that "more than just a brand, Eric built a community". / Eric Kirham Cole stands relaxed upon the EKCO AD65 radio. His mosaic created from 182 fired porcelain photographs of the ECKO factory, its workers and / the products they made. His posture and slight smile on his face of cold cast / bronze reflects the shy often diffident man, who although at the helm of a great / company, often preferred to remain in the background.