As a cultural and historic city, Chester has its fair share of sculptures.
From the ancient Statue of Minerva that dates back to Roman times, to the bronze elephant calf Janya donated by Chester Zoo on Northgate Street, many are popular sights snapped by city visitors as mementos.
Now, Chester has added a brand-new artwork to its growing collection: a statue of the beloved children’s character Paddington Bear.
As of this week, the famous creation of author Michael Bond can now be found perched on a bench at the end of Foregate Street by The Bars Roundabout (now The Bear’s Roundabout!), allowing fans to get their picture taken with him.
Paddington wears his classic blue duffle coat and red hat, and is depicted munching on a marmalade sandwich. The statue was unveiled by pupils from the Grosvenor Park Academy nearby as part of an afternoon ceremony.
The statue is part of a nationwide trail called “Paddington Visits”, appearing in cities and beauty spots across the UK to support the upcoming release of a new film from StudioCanal. The third instalment in a series of recent films, “Paddington in Peru” will be screening at the home of cinema in Chester, Storyhouse, from Friday, November 22 to Thursday, November 28.
The film features a cast of Britain’s finest acting talent including Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Olivia Colman and Hugh Bonneville, and sees Paddington take the Brown family back to his jungle home to visit his Aunt Lucy. Storyhouse is situated on Hunter Street in Chester.
