Over a dozen quirky creatures have appeared in Prescot town centre leaving locals "amazed" and "made up".
In 2020, a frog and newt were installed in Market Place and now a further 12 animals are perched on pillars and other unusual locations across the town.
The sculptures represent some of the animals mentioned in the witches’ chant from the well-known Shakespeare play Macbeth.
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The artworks have been installed to link in with Knowsley’s celebrations for its year as Liverpool City Region Borough of Culture and ahead of the opening of the Shakespeare North Playhouse in the summer when thousands of new visitors are expected to visit the town every year.
Celebrating the town’s connections to William Shakespeare, the artworks create an interesting talking point about Prescot’s heritage and make a fun and engaging trail for people to enjoy.
Many people across Prescot have embraced the new trail as one person said they were "made up" to have something for the grandkids "to enjoy".
Another added it was "exciting for the youngsters" and they "looked forward" to completing the "amazing" trail.
Taking to social media, some residents said they were "excited" to go looking for the magical creatures.
The steel animal sculptures have been created by father and son artists Brian and George Fell and have been funded through the Liverpool City Region Mayoral Town Centres Fund, which was established by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to support local authority plans to revitalise their town centres.
Cllr Tony Brennan, Knowsley Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development added: "These sculptures are a great addition to Prescot.
"How lovely to have Shakespeare themed animal sculptures to help celebrate the town’s special history and heritage, Knowsley’s year as Borough of Culture and of course the Shakespeare North Playhouse.
"It is all contributing towards our transformation of Prescot town centre, we’ve achieved so much already from major upgrades at Prescot railway station, physical improvements to buildings and areas in the town, new wayfinding signage and some striking pieces of public art.
"It’s great to see everything coming together and the town being ready to welcome the thousands of new visitors we are expecting when the Shakespeare North Playhouse opens in the Summer."
The sculptures are also a key element of the council’s overall ambition to transform Prescot town centre and to make it an even more attractive and welcoming place for local residents and visitors.
These artworks are part of the wider connectivity strategy for the town which saw bespoke inner gateway signs installed late 2020 and a family of new wayfinding signage installed across the town centre in early 2021.
There are also striking pieces of public art in place at key roundabouts leading into the town and at Prescot railway station.
Full list of the animal sculptures:
- Cat
- Lizard
- Toad
- Shark
- Baboon
- Bat
- Hedgehog
- Snake
- Goat
- Dragon
- Frog and Newt
- Dog
- Owl – coming soon
How many have you spotted? Let us know in the comments!
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