As part of a National Heritage project, ‘Hidden Stories’, run by Leeds 2023 Year of Culture, WMS was asked if we could make a large elephant.
The Hidden Story behind this request was based on recollections from Otley residents of when the circus came to town. The circus elephants were transported to Otley by train to the Railway Station (sadly it was closed by Dr Beeching in 1965) and then they were paraded through the town and then northwards over the river bridge on their way to the circus ground which was on the show field north of the River Wharfe.
Memories from the elderly residents even included recollections of people rushing out with shovels and buckets to clear up after the elephants and then using the manure to improve their crops of rhubarb and roses!!
WMS members put their heads together and came up with a design based on a large flat board of heavy duty plywood. The outline was projected on to the wood and sketched on before then being cut out using a powered jigsaw. A lot of painting took place and the artistic skills of some members brought to the fore with great effect. One member even plaited a tail in heavy string which was then attached to the wooden effigy.
The elephant, which we laughingly called Clara, then took pride of place in the Courthouse foyer where it stayed on display for some weeks. At the end of the project, we donated the elephant to a school for disabled children where it was placed in a sensory garden.
The pictures show the finished article along with members who worked on making it, then Clara in her new home in the sensory garden.
