Statues of Wallace and Gromit

Statues of Wallace and Gromit

The sculpture in 2021
Interactive map of Statues of Wallace and Gromit
Location	Preston, Lancashire, England
Coordinates	53°45′38″N2°42′01″W / 53.760431°N 2.700171°W / 53.760431; -2.700171
Designer	Nick Park (main artist)
Type	Statue, bench monument
Material	Bronze
Opening date	10 September 2021
Dedicated to	Wallace and Gromit

The statues of Wallace and Gromit are a bronze sculptural group in Preston, Lancashire, England, at the corner of Earl and Market Streets at the entrance to the Covered Market. Installed in 2021, the work depicts the titular characters from Wallace & Gromit , the claymation franchise created by Preston-born animator Nick Park and produced by Aardman Animations. A companion statue of Feathers McGraw was added nearby in 2025.

History

The monument was designed by Nick Park, together with other artists at Aardman Animations and the local sculptor Peter Hodgkinson, and it was unveiled on 10 September 2021. It was funded by the local town fund. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

On 20 February 2025, a statue of Feathers McGraw, the penguin antagonist and nemesis of Wallace and Gromit, was unveiled nearby at the corner of Lowthian and Orchard Streets, in front of the Animate Preston cinema on Tenterfield Street. ^[4]

Design

The sculpture consists of two bronze statues. In the foreground, it features Gromit, an anthropomorphic beagle, sitting on a bench and reading a newspaper. Behind him stands Wallace, wearing one of the character's inventions, the "Techno Trousers", from the 1993 short film The Wrong Trousers . ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Statue of Feathers McGraw

Statue of Feathers McGraw

Interactive map of Statue of Feathers McGraw
Location	Lowthian Street, Preston, Lancashire, England
Coordinates	53°45′38″N2°42′01″W / 53.76058°N 2.70027°W / 53.76058; -2.70027
Type	Statue
Material	Bronze
Height	1.2 metres (3.9 ft)
Opening date	20 February 2025
Dedicated to	Feathers McGraw

The statue of Feathers McGraw is a bronze sculpture 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height that depicts Feathers McGraw, the penguin criminal-mastermind antagonist from The Wrong Trousers and the 2024 feature film Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl . It was unveiled on 20 February 2025 to mark the opening of the Animate Preston cinema on Tenterfield Street. The ceremony was attended by Park; Chris Butler and Chris Jones, the owners of Castle Fine Arts Foundry, which cast the statue; and Philip Crowe, the mayor of Preston. ^{[4] [5] [6]} The sculpture was placed near the statues of Wallace and Gromit at the entrance to the Covered Market. ^{[4] [7]}

Feathers McGraw is depicted wearing a rubber glove on top of his head (in disguise as a chicken) and holding a remote controller, as he appeared in The Wrong Trousers while controlling Wallace's mechanised pants. ^[4]

References

1. "Wallace and Gromit: Creator Nick Park unveils comedy duo's Preston statue". BBC News. 10 September 2021. Archived from the original on 24 August 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
2. Storer, Rhi (5 June 2021). "It's a cracking statue, Gromit: Preston unveils 'wrong trousers' bench". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
3. Girotto, Eleonora (11 September 2021). "Wallace and Gromit: Bronze statue of iconic duo unveiled in Preston by creator Nick Park". Independent. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
4. Burnell, Paul (20 February 2025). "Statue of Wallace and Gromit villain unveiled". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
5. "Statue of evil penguin Feathers McGraw unveiled in Preston". ITV. 20 February 2025. Archived from the original on 4 July 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
6. "Nick Park CBE, unveils statue of Feathers McGraw at Animate, Preston". Preston City Council. 20 February 2025. Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
7. "Wallace and Gromit: Creator Nick Park unveils comedy duo's Preston statue". BBC News. 10 September 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2025.