Hundreds attend Cambridge Gateway from India opening ceremony

Hundreds of people turned out for the official opening of a beautiful carved stone archway that was once destined for a skip but has now become Cambridge’s Gateway from India.

The ribbon cutting in the gardens of Ditchburn Place on Mill Road on Friday, September 1, was attended by representatives from the Indian High Commission and the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire as well as Cambridge’s mayor Jenny Gawthrope, MP Daniel Zeichner and more than 60 other dignitaries.

It marked the end of a three year project started by hairdresser Piero D’Angelico who saved the stones after persuading Cambridgeshire County Council to sell them to him for £1. Sculptor Stephen Cox, who attended the ceremony, said he believed the value of the carvings was up to £1 million.

Since then it has been the work of an entire community to remove, store and re-erect the carvings in a new archway design for the public to enjoy.

Piero said: “My grandfather was a stonemason and he taught me all about the craft as a child. When I saw the carvings I knew how special they were and how much work they had taken and I knew I had to save them.

“I had no idea then how much this project would take over my life, but I hope my grandfather would be proud of what we have achieved here. So many people in the community around Mill Road have helped out with their skills or advice or with donations to make this happen - it has really brought everyone together.”

The decorative carvings had once adorned a Hindu shrine in the Old Library building on Mill Road, Cambridge.

But they had been set for demolition by the county council after it reclaimed the building and it was only the determination of Piero D’Angelico that prevented them being destroyed.

The ceremony on Friday celebrated three years of work that included the skillful transformation by stone masons from Apex Stone of the carvings from a single span archway to a four pillar gateway. There were also long negotiations with Cambridge City Council about where the stones could be placed and months of fundraising to pay for the works.

An astute idea by Piero was to sell engraved brass plaques around the base of the archway to help raise funds towards the project.

Piero says: “People are proud to have their names around the gateway. There are names from many communities and from businesses. People are even remembering loved ones who were born at the old maternity hospital on the site. Everyone feels part of this project.”

The pink stone carvings were originally made by stone masons in Rajasthan and installed in the Bhavat Bhavan shrine in 2006 and the shrine was inaugurated in 2010.

Thak Patel from the Indian Community and Cultural Association came to celebrate their new lease of life. He said: “The carvings have a religious past having adorned the Hindu shrine, which sadly is no more, but they stand here today as a gateway from India, a symbol of hope, maybe even reincarnation, that has brought the whole community together regardless of belief.

“We have a saying that if you have good intentions, you will achieve good outcomes. This is deeply symbolic of how the project has materialised.”

And the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Professor Roderick Watkins praised the project for bringing the community together. He said: “It speaks to the real power that we can unlock when individuals, communities, civic bodies, central government, local government and universities come together and achieving this dream of preserving heritage and creating something profoundly sustainable for the future, I think is a huge achievement.

“I can’t think of a more powerful symbol of our capacity to achieve remarkable things by working together. So I thank everybody that has been involved in realising this ambition.”

Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner brought a message from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He said: “On behalf of all parliamentarians, we would commend everything that’s been done today.”

The representative of the Indian High Commission, Sanjay Kumar, said: “Mill Road with its rich history and diverse community provides the perfect location for installation of the Gateway from India and will serve as a reminder of the vibrant cultural heritage that India brings to the world and the role it plays in shaping the global cultural landscape. The Gateway from India will also represent an enduring friendship and partnership that India and the UK shares.”

Shapour Meftah, chair of the Mill Road Traders’ Association told the crowd: “I want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone involved in fulfilling this project. It’s been a lot of hard work and many people including traders, councillors, and a lot of members of communities who have contributed their time and hard work in achieving this wonderful community project.”

At the end of the ceremony, Sir Pascuale Marchese, Mayor of Castalluccio Valmaggiore, Italy, which is Piero’s home town, and Cambridge’s deputy mayor Baju Thittala Varkey laid a plaque in memory of Piero’s grandfather and master stonemason Falco Gian Pietro.. Sir Pascuale Marchese was then presented with the last remaining decorative stone from the archway to be placed on the “Arco Del Pozzo” in Castalluccio Valmaggiore.