Where is Arthur Lucan?

I recently paid a visit to the grave of Arthur Lucan, and was shown both his old and new graves and decided to pay his old bust a visit in Tivoli House. I was shocked when I got there and found it missing.

Does anyone know where the bust has gone, and why it was removed?

Hi Mike, strewth that Bust cost a good bit of kelt and the man that organised it went to a great deal of effort and trouble. I have spoken to him tonight. He knew nought about its removal and told me to say that, quote "Sherlock is on the case!" Surely the new proprietors know where it is? But if you could not find out anything of its whereabouts, it does not look good.

I have emailed Hull Daily Mail about it, and got an email back saying they will look into it. I had the pleasure of speaking with a member of staff at Eastern Cemetery who is interested in creating a place where Lucan fans can visit and find out more about the man. He has started creating space for it, and I have offered to donate some of my research to the project, but we were discussing the bust and how it had vanished.

This gentleman wanted it preserved and on public view, even going so far as saying he would gladly rehouse it at Eastern Cemetery.

Mike, I have not heard back from John yet. I suppose we are all now waiting for Monday morning. When I told him what you had posted he was very shocked. I said if YOU have drawn a blank it does not look good. John went to a great deal of personal effort and invested a great deal of his time organising the whole project and now, like you he is baffled and not a little aggrieved.

It's really wierd. The spot where the bust sat is now a large walk in freezer!

Mike, too weird for words. That Bust marked the place, by the stage, where the old fellow dropped dead. Shiver. There was a legend along with the Bust describing how he passed away and notes about the presentation by John. There were some great posters from the time as well.

I had made regular visits there in the past. Weird how it just vanished without word or warning. Another piece of Hull's History gone without consultation.

Mike, a shop assistant at the shop next to the Orchard Cafe, owned by the same company, told me that Arthur is back. I was told he had been left somewhere to the rear of the premises. It was late and, looking through the closed cafe window, I could see the Bust on a plinth. So, I think someone has been given the job of finding and replacing him. I think your heads up was most timely. Howl! Oh Mike, I do love a good pun

The bust of Arthur Lucan was installed at the new ORCHARD CAFE in pride of place to the rear of the cafe during the renovations Mike, also most of the old music hall posters are there down the passageway leading to the toilets.

I see Arthur surveying the patrons every time I eat there.

Thanks, I have been conversing with several local historians and all are interested in the bust and it's present location.

So how come he was not taken to his hometown to be buried?, diddnt his wife want him near to her? isnt it more usual for out of towners to be returned to their hometown,or place of birth after death? i have often wondered about his being buried in eastern cemetery,but believed at the time the actor came from hull.

I wonder if lord lucan was a distant relative,does anyone know where he is ?

Kitty had wanted Arthur buried in London near to her, however, she wasn't prepared to pay for it. She also had ideas to create a large monument in Eastern Cemetery but again she wouldn't pay for it.

Did he die a poor man then,or did the cash go in the kitty? wasnt they heading for a break-up?

Alan Mackinnon is the man to ask. I posted some material on Lucan on Facebook and Alan was a wealth of knowledge on him.

From things my mum told me, Arthur and his wife/manager were always heading for a bust up, but unfortunatel, she held the purse strings and a very tight contract. One has to be careful what one says on a public forum but it is pretty well common knowledge amongst people in the know in those days that all Arthur was to Kitty was a meal ticket and there was no way she would have let him go. As Mike says, all the plans for memorials and such like were thwarted by Kitty because she wouldn't pay for anything other than a simple straightforward burial. I must say that I am pleased that the bust has been found and put in its rightful place.

And i understand she died alone some ten years later in london,i wonder if their son was looked after money wise? for there is not a lot of information on him as far as i can see,it all seems very sad realy.

You are right there, Steve. A very sad story of a grasping woman coming to a sad end. As far as the son is concerned, I cannot find out anything about him. No doubt if his mother had anything left when she died, he would have inherited it. As for Kitty, I cannot but feel that it is a classic case of "what goes around comes around". Mind you, another great star had a woman who married him and managed him and treated him like sh1te and that was George Formby. His wife and manager Beryl used to dole him out pocket money and never let him out of her sight, even when he was the biggest name in British entertainment. Makes you glad to be a nobody with nowt, doesn't it?

I had a book out from the Hull History Centre recently that was all about the Lucan family, and featured quite a lot of correspondence, and first hand eyewitness testimony on the final days of Arthur, and what his family were doing.

Did you know that his son kept Arthurs boots, wig, and one of his jackets that he used to wear on stage? Only the dress that Arthur wore as Old Mother Riley was buried with him.

I wonder if he kept them as a reminder of his father,or to put up for sale,or hand down to his children,(if he had any) as a family airloom,its a shame that his frock and gear did not go to a museum or even kept alongside his bust,i wonder where they are to-day? and it may be just as well they diddnt put up a big monument in eastern cemetary as it seems to be a sport of the young to smash gravestones of ordinary folk,i suppose a monument to a famous actor may well have become a prime target for these callous thugs.

I took some photo's of the graves of Lucan when I was at Eastern Cemetery.

https://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=172648&id=586989665&l=d03c336fcd

So why the two grave stones Mike? Which one is he actually buried under? I remember my uncle, who lived in Stonebridge Avenue, relating the tale of Arthur's ghost dancing in the mist.

Have you visited the Orchard cafe yet to see the bust?

The smaller gravestone was Lucan's original gravestone, but this was removed and replaced by the newer black gravestone. Lucan is under the newer stone, with the old one sitting in the gardens near the toilets.

I managed to visit the cafe yesterday and found him watching over the diners.

Thanks for everyones help.