The undergrowth was cut back from around the sculpture before packing it carefully in a steel frame, and lifting the frame by crane onto the back of a lorry for transportation to the Abbey. The surrounding area was thoroughly searched for any original fragments, which would be used in the repair of the model. The model was enormously heavy and so it was decided to carry out the restoration on site at the Abbey, as the intended display area was at the top of a flight of stairs.

The model was first placed into a ground floor studio, where all loose parts were carefully detached and separated from the main body.

This was done to allow new armatures to be placed inside the parts in order to attach them securely to the sculpture during repairs, and secondly to reduce the weight so that the pieces could be moved up the staircase to the eventual display room.

The sculpture was in three main parts: solid legs to the waist, (which contained the supporting iron armature), hollow torso and hollow head. There were also the base pieces and hollow arms. A new steel base was prepared and new stainless steel leg armatures were bolted to the base so that the reconstruction could begin.

The legs were bolted onto the prepared base frame, through holes in the original supporting iron armature bars. The left arm was attached to the torso and the whole thing lifted and lowered onto the waist.

The head was then lifted up and placed in the neck cavity. The right arm was fitted and held under tension while being pegged and re-plastered into the correct position.

Finally the base was slotted together and all the loose and removed pieces reattached from where they came. After being allowed to dry, the newly applied plaster was lightly sanded and the repairs selectively coloured to match the original.