The story behind Cheshire's curious elephant and castle statue
The huge sculpture is tucked away off winding country lanes
The Elephant & Castle sculpture on Quarry Bank, Peckforton(Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)
Turn off the winding roads through Peckforton, heading toward the village hall, and a surprising character peers over a garden fence. Peckforton's Elephant and Castle, a towering sandstone sculpture, is among the most intriguing curiosities in Cheshire.
The elephant carries on its back an ornate, tassled saddle, on which is sat an ornate castle with five elaborate towers and arched windows, some of which are still fitted with glass. The towers grow wider at their highest points, giving the sculpture a miraculous, unstable look.
According to The Standstone Ridge Trust, the huge sculpture was carved from just two blocks of sandstone in 1859 by John Watson, foreman mason on Chester's famous Westminster Bridge. Watson was working on nearby Peckforton Castle, and the elephant is made from the same stone as the grand house, quarried locally.
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The elephant and its large, flat base are carved from one piece, and the ornate castle from another. It was moved to its current location, Elephant and Castle Cottage, around a century ago from its original location on the grounds of Watson House.
Numerous theories as to the purpose of the sculpture have been proposed. The Sandstone Ridge Trust says that "local rumour considers its intended use was as a beehive but this is not substantiated.
The Elephant & Castle sculpture on Quarry Bank, Peckforton(Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)
"It is more likely that the coat of arms of the Corbett family, previous owners of Peckforton, prompted the inspiration for this curiosity since that coat of arms features an elephant with a castle upon its back."
The Trust adds that Watson "is also known to have carved two pairs of stone lions" which can be seen in Spurstow and Tattenhall.
The Elephant & Castle sculpture on Quarry Bank, Peckforton(Image: Pete Stonier / Stoke Sentinel)
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