The cast iron elephants were installed to their new rooftop home on Wednesday 16 March 2016.&They weigh 1 tonne and were originally set atop the gateposts of the Bolton Bleachworks on Chorley Street until 1977. When the Bleachworks were demolished the elephants were donated to Bolton and installed in Victoria Square where they remained until 2014. The elephant has long been a historic symbol for Bolton and the animal has always been a feature of the town’s coat of arms. WML were asked to devise / implement a solution to allow the elephants to be back on public display in Octagon Square, as a response to client request and constraints. The main re-development contract for Octagon Square was already designed (without the cast iron elephants) and starting on site when WML were approached in mid-January 2016.The elephant sculptures were inspected in storage at the highways depot and were in the condition as removed in 2014.The cast iron sculptures have been fully cleaned, repainted and fitted with stainless steel fixing anchors and on a demountable frame should a preferred location be funded / developed. The Octagon Square re-development works are ongoing, nearing completion and awaiting a further three colourful elephants to be relocated at ground level.
