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Maidstone's famous Iguandon dinosaur is back in the County Town

By: Alan Smith ajsmith@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 12:22, 05 August 2020

Updated: 12:30, 05 August 2020

It's been more than 125 million years, but finally Iggy the dinosaur is back in Maidstone.

Or to be precise, a sculpture of Maidstone's famous dinosaur is now on display as a piece of roadside art.

Iggy on the A20

The metal statue has been installed on the grass verge at the junction of the A20 and New Cut Road at Bearsted, as part of works to improve one of the main entry routes into the County Town.

The skeleton is a tribute to the dinosaur, whose fossilised remains were unearthed in 1834 in the Queens Road area of Maidstone.

The discovery was said to be on the most significant of the Victorian period, helping to further understanding of the dinosaur era and enabling palaeontologists to figure out the anatomy of the mighty Iguanadon.

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It has been a good year for Iggy, who is already featured in Maidstone's coat of arms.

In February this year, the Royal Mint issued a series of 50p pieces commemorating famous dinosaur discoveries - and Iggy was featured there too.

Iggy is on the left of Maidstone's Coat of Arms

The dinosaur joins tree sculptures, a new bus shelter and flowerbeds as part of a series of measures to improve the area.

John Edwards, Street Scene Operations Manager at Maidstone Borough Council, said: “There are also plans for bicycle silhouettes, a bug hotel, educational boards as well as a cast-iron Mote Park entrance archway, which should be completed by September.

“The original and eye catching works of art will help to promote the history of the County Town."

For more quirky and unusual stories, click here

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