Worcester's Big Parade

Having gotten well and truly 'Rammed' in Derby during June and July, I now bring you news of an elephant invasion that has taken over the fair streets of Worcester. A herd of artistic sculptures are awaiting discovery as the Chip Foundation celebrate Nick's forthcoming birthday...

- Stephen with 'Strawberrephant' -

I won't reveal Nick's impending age other than to say Paul McCartney might well have written a song about it. Our resident royal may be getting older but he isn't losing his hair yet, and he is safely aboard the 10:15 train at Galton Bridge ready to meet Ken, the Beardsmores and myself. The journey down to Foregate Street is spent trying to name as many famous artists and musical composers as possible - I think we did rather well! - before we get stuck straight into the elephant trail. Exhibit A is the fruitily red 'Strawberrephant', perched on the railway station forecourt and covered in a multitude of yellow seeds.

- 'It's What's Inside That Counts' -

Quickly warming to our task, we encounter 'Jackson' outside the Worcester Museum and Art Gallery; this is an expressive sculpture seemingly slathered in paint textures. The racecourse gates on Croft Road have us pondering the melting effects of 'Global Warming' while 'Hive in the Herd' is a study in honeycomb that blends in well with the city's iconic modern library. Also making quite an impression is 'It's What's Inside That Counts', a skeleton-themed creation with a bright red heart that can be found in the gardens close to the Severn View Hotel.

- Nick and Ken with 'Azalea' -

Crossing the mighty Severn care of Sabrina Bridge, our next calling point is Cripplegate Park where the play area is unsurprisingly busy with children during the school holidays. The park is home to 'Azalea', a suitably floral elephant which politely patrols the ornamental flowerbeds, while we're similarly impressed by other public artworks within the wider grounds - a large ceramic poppy commemorates the Worcestershire Yeomanry regiment whereas we can hardly ignore a giant shimmering golden pear, twinkling away as the sun starts to come out.

- Mr B Senior in the Brewers Arms -

New Road cricket ground is normally a place of pilgrimage for us but not today; in fact, we're rather disgruntled at the decision to charge an entrance fee for watching a Second XI match. Ken leads us in silent protest before we proceed west of the river into St John's, an interesting locality centred around the Bull Ring and St John-in-Bedwardine Parish Church. Top target here would have been the rehoused Bull Baiter's micropub were it not closed on a Monday lunchtime; the Grosvenor Arms is likewise shut so the Brewers Arms comes to our rescue. Those of us of a Wolverhampton Wanderers persuasion feel instantly at home here among the many references to Molineux's hallowed turf, just part of a distinct sporting emphasis.

- The All Important Chip Interlude -

I think we all rather liked the Brewers Arms actually - two docile boxer dogs commandeered their favourite sofas, Stephen had cricket ground landscapes to admire and Mr B Senior was able to partake of his much-craved John Smith's. Conversation covers the usual assorted range of topics including (somewhat morbidly) footballer funerals, with Ken recalling how the stars of yesteryear turned out in force for Derek Dougan some years ago. Attention soon turns to matters of luncheon whereby Cripplegate Park re-enters the fray as our chip-munching setting of choice. The food takes half an eternity to cook but at least we know it's fresh!

- Nick meets 'The Pears' -

Time for more elephants now as we take a Severn-side stroll along Bromwich Parade, looking out over a stretch of river that serves as a dedicated swan sanctuary. Standing above the foot ferry steps is 'The Pears', a particularly colourful design that prominently features the county's symbolic fruit. Alas the foot ferry itself isn't operational at the moment but it's no hardship going the long way round to the opposite bank, carefully listening in as cathedral chimes reverberate on the breeze and evoke a real sense of the quintessential English summertime. 

- 'Wellyphant' -

South Quay coaxes us with the prospect of 'Wellyphant' whose shiny red boots would surely be ideal for splashing about in the nearby fountains; 'Ash' meanwhile has automotive leanings referencing the Morgan car company, and 'Zentangle' offers a variety of golden geometric shapes in the shadows of the Diglis House Hotel. We then wend our way along Severn Street to account for 'Wild World' (showcasing an array of cute creatures in the grounds of the Royal Worcester ceramics museum) and 'Worcester in Porcelain' over by the Commandery. Aside from the animal sculptures, Nick is excited to find a Civil War-styled montage comprising helmets, chestguards and lances - we think HRH would definitely have been a Cavalier whereas Stephen is more of a Roundhead! 

- The Oil Basin Brewhouse -

Onwards we go to College Green for a momentary appreciation of the Edgar Tower, an imposing sandstone gatehouse which boasts C14th crenellations. Elsewhere within the Cathedral Precincts we spot 'Lucy Lavender', a pastoral elephant that conjures up more of the splendid River Severn scenery we were admiring earlier. Just over the road, 'Silverella' keeps Sir Edward Elgar company with a cog-based appearance before we squeeze in two swift pub visits. The Farriers Arms on Fish Street has dark wood aplenty as we respectively quaff Otter Bitter, Tribute, HPA or lemonade and blackcurrant; the Oil Basin Brewhouse by contrast is altogether much more modern, serving as a showcase for the Wintrip Brew Co. although Oakham's Black Magic Porter is our preferred tipple in this instance.

- 'Panda' -

The strains of Bob Dylan linger long in our ears as we bid farewell to the Oil Basin (a 2021 Good Beer Guide entry I'd happily return to) and eye up a few more elephants. 'Porcelain Elephant' guards the Guildhall with its carved effigies of Kings Charles I and Charles II; 'Panda' pretty much does what it says on the tin; 'The Gardener' has a checked shirt, sunflowers and a spade; and finally 'Life's Snakes and Ladders' has a different board game design on either flank. Pubwise we round off at the Imperial Tavern, a Black Country Ales establishment that seems highly fitting for raising a toast to the birthday boy Nick Esq. We then catch the 17:41 train home to conclude an excellent elephantine expedition - cheers!

- 'Woollyphant' -

Monday isn't quite the end of my elephant story though, for I return to Worcester on Friday 27th August to track down the remaining ten installations. 'Sundown Stroll' gets me back into the sculpture-spotting groove with its burnished African sunset effect at The Cross, and there are a multitude of miniature ele-babies to meet within the Crowngate Centre's shopping malls. 'Woollyphant' then beckons me to Sawmill Walk so as to inspect the pink, purple and blue yarn-effect design - I bet this one would be warm in wintertime! Another Crowngate candidate is 'Leave the Herd Behind' with its hints of ladybirds, bridge arches and even a narrowboat.

- 'Dare To Bee Different -

'The Elephant in the Room' at Chapel Walk is not a sculpture as such but rather an interactive display that emphasises the importance of good mental health. I'm impressed by both 'An Elephant Never Forgets' (the pink specimen accompanying St Andrew's Spire) and 'Inky', whose lovely black and white illustrations grace Friary Street beside Laslett's Almshouses. 'Muddy Walks' is well-prepared for adverse weather thanks to a yellow raincoat while 'Sundar' offers nods to Indian and Thai royalty. Two more to go and the first of those entices me to Fort Royal Park, scene of a decisive English Civil War battle. No such drama on this occasion as 'Dare To Bee Different' stands quietly atop the historic mound surveying the cityscape below. 

- 'Alex the Cleaniphant' -

Extra legwork is required to reach my very last elephant, the resulting stroll introducing me to Diglis Island on the River Severn where two landmark locks and a weir are just part of the waterways infrastructure. Towering over the lot is the visually arresting Diglis Bridge, a modern crossing that officially opened in July 2010 and provides the backdrop to my pictures of 'Alex the Cleaniphant', a creation adorned with details of swans and dragon-boat racing. With that I've found all 31 of the large elephants, and I hope they collectively go on to raise stacks of money for St Richard's Hospice when the herd is auctioned off in due course. 

- The Portobello, Bransford Road -

What of Friday's pub selections I hear you ask? Being at Diglis Bridge means I'm handily placed for visiting the Lower Wick estate where Canada Way reveals the Maple Leaf next to a Co-op shopping parade. Wolverhampton Wanderers regalia is once again evident as I savour a cracking pint of Banks's Mild, much of the bar chat revolving around Cristiano Ronaldo's proposed return to Manchester United. An alleyway to Swinton Lane then has me homing in on the Portobello, a townhouse Marston's affair on the B4485 Bransford Road. A decent drop of Banks's Amber goes down well while I watch some of the Headingley test match cricket, and with a glimpse of the former JF Willis Cinderella Shoe Works (specialists in glass slippers presumably??) I make my way back to Foregate Street, job done and dusted.