This design features a community of penguins coming together to skate on the River Severn under the iconic backdrop of Worcester Cathedral. The penguins are a mixture of ages, species and groups, all taking to the ice and having fun on the river.
The warm tones of the sunset on the ice and the lit-up windows evoke a cosy feel, and the overall message of the design is togetherness, friendship and community. No penguin is the same and yet the message of the picture is that they are all brought together by the beauty of the city, the river, and their shared home in Worcester.
Audio read by: Tammy Gooding from BBC Hereford and Worcester
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Artist
Julia Kerrison
Julia is a fine artist and illustrator living in West Penwith but exhibiting and working all over the world. She trained initially in the theatre, focusing on scenic art, puppetry and mask making before moving into fine art and illustration. She has a Master’s degree in Authorial Illustration from Falmouth University and have worked in the props department of the Royal Opera House and crafted puppets for NYC’s Stagedoor Manor Theatre Training Camp.
Julia paints predominantly in acrylics, layering colour finely to create beautifully lit images and covering a wide variety of subject matters.
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About this location
07. Cathedral Square
Worcester’s Cathedral Square is home to an iconic feature of the city centre: The Elgar Statue. Erected in 1981, this likeness of Worcester’s most famous son stands on a spot which Elgar would have been intimately familiar with.
Mere yards away on a site today occupied by H&M stood his father’s music shop, above which he lived as a young man. A plaque records its exact location.
Worcester would have a profound effect on the young Elgar, who was almost entirely self-taught in matters musical. He was able to take advantage of his father’s business. In later life he said ‘I saw and learnt a great deal about music from the stream of music that passed through my father’s establishment. I read everything, played everything, and heard everything that I possibly could.’
As his talents grew Elgar became a familiar name in Worcester’s 19th century music scene. He played violin in the Cathedral’s orchestra, played the organ for St George’s Roman Catholic Church in Sansome Place and spent several years writing music for and leading the staff band at Powick Lunatic Asylum.
He left the city when he married in 1889, but returned often to visit. In August 1905 he was granted the Freedom of the City in a lavish ceremony which processed from the Guild Hall to the Cathedral where he conducted at that year’s Three Choirs Festival.
This location fact has been provided by Joe Tierney of Faithful History. To learn more stories of the ancient city of Worcester, spanning thousands of years of history in ‘The Faithful City’, visit https://www.facebook.com/faithfulhistoryworcester
Take home your own feathered friend
In October 2024 all 40 large penguins and one chick will be auctioned to raise funds for the care provided by St Richard’s Hospice.
In 2021, 31 stunning elephant sculptures raised a mammoth £368,800 to support the care provided by St Richard’s Hospice across Worcestershire.
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