Stonehaven residents might be pinching themselves when they hear the reason for the town’s newest seaside sculpture…
Newtonhill craftsman Jim Malcolm has adorned the town’s shoreline with various metal artworks over the last few years.
And he decided to cap 2023 off with a cheeky look at one of the town’s most memorable sagas this year.
He took inspiration for his pet project from the unlikely row that erupted over plans to expand the harbour’s Seafood Bothy food shack…
The Seafood Bothy spat that inspired Stonehaven lobster sculpture
Maria Lewis had bought an old fisherman’s shed along Shorehead in the hopes of transforming it into a second branch of her Seafood Bothy food business.
It was to come with tanks housing sea creatures, to help local children learn about the nature on their doorstep.
But during an eyebrow-raising council meeting, the modest proposal was rejected.
The decision came after committee chairwoman Wendy Agnew (who has recently stepped down after controversial Traveller remarks) raised a very particular concern.
She worried that a child visiting the spot could become scared by the sudden movement of a lobster in a tank… And flee into the road, to be struck by a passing vehicle.
While some fumed at the move to stymie the growth of a popular local business, others saw the funny side.
And it quickly became something of a Mearns meme.
Poems were written about it, jokes went on for days and people even dressed up as lobsters to lark about at the Seafood Bothy hut.
Even bemused businesswoman could see the funny side, despite ploughing so much into the failed bid to grow her business.
It helped that, soon afterwards, scores of supportive visitors stopped by for snacks.
Great front page of today’s @EveningExpress for the Stonehaven lobster story that’s taken the world by storm. https://t.co/O72GdAL89N pic.twitter.com/NAvw11CFAP
— Ben Hendry (@BenHendry1) March 17, 2023
‘It’s just a wind up really’
This morning, Jim unveiled his latest masterpiece in honour of the local Seafood Bothy scandal.
He said: ““I like to try and do things that mean something to the people of Stonehaven.
“To the councillor that said it would scare the children, it’s just a wind up really.”
Thankfully the gleaming installation, which could be mistaken for an oversized, menacing robotic crustacean, is not next to any busy roads should any youngsters become spooked by it.
Each of his pieces take about a year to make, with about 100 hours of work going into every one.
In 2021, a nautical sculpture was unveiled – on the cliffs above the historic shipwreck that inspired it.
Meanwhile, a sculpture of a plane which fell victim to Storm Babet has been repositioned to keep it safe in the future.
Relive the saga that inspired the Stonehaven lobster sculpture:
Conversation