The mechanical bull which shaped the centrepiece of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Video games opening ceremony is to be given a everlasting residence within the metropolis’s predominant railway station.
The ten-metre-high bull, identified on the Raging Bull, shall be put in within the atrium of Birmingham New Avenue station this summer time, Community Rail mentioned.
After being hailed because the spotlight of the Commonwealth Video games opening ceremony, the bull was moved to Centenary Sq. within the metropolis centre the place it was seen by an estimated 4 million guests final summer time.
In September it was moved to a carpark in Ladywood whereas officers labored to seek out it a everlasting residence.
Andy Avenue, mayor of the West Midlands, mentioned its new place would imply the bull could possibly be “loved, marvelled at and photographed by native folks and guests alike within the months and years forward”.
The bull, which was made utilizing supplies from factories in Birmingham and the Black Nation and constructed round a 17-tonne forklift crane, was not designed as a everlasting fixture and continues to be being modified to make sure its longevity.
Throughout the ceremony, the armoured bull was dragged into the stadium by 50 ladies representing feminine chainmakers of the Industrial Revolution, earlier than its armour was eliminated and chains damaged, signifying folks breaking free from bondage and oppression.
Peter Hendy, the chair of Community Rail, mentioned the bull had “captivated the nation, cementing itself as an icon for host metropolis Birmingham”.
He added that there was “no higher place than Birmingham New Avenue’s enormous concourse and atrium”, the place it will likely be seen by the station’s 800,000 weekly footfall of passengers and pedestrians.
Ian Ward, the chief of Birmingham metropolis council, mentioned: “It’s unbelievable that now we have been capable of finding a house for the Raging Bull within the coronary heart of Birmingham.
“There have been many stars throughout our unforgettable summer time of sport and tradition – however none had been greater and bolder than the bull.”
Though the bull acquired widespread reward for its design, organisers apologised after the bull’s armour was used to show the names of the victims of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings with out their households’ consent or explaining the gesture to audiences within the commentary.
Birmingham is already residence to sculptor Laurence Broderick’s six-tonne bronze bull which sits outdoors the Bullring buying centre, named after an space traditionally used for bull-baiting.
