The Minotaur and the Hare - Promenade, Cheltenham
Heading up the Promenade in Cheltenham. We stopped off for a drink in the House of Fraser at Cafe Zest, before heading to that fountain with benches.
By Sophie Ryder, 1995.
Bronze sculpture of the Minotaur and the Hare sitting on a bench.
Purchased by public
subscription 1998
with the generous
support of —
Beaufort Homes
the Baker family
and the people of
Cheltenham
You are here: Things To Do > The Hare and the Minotaur
The Hare and the Minotaur
The Promenade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1PJ
Visit Website
The Hare and the Minotaur
About
The Hare and the Minotaur Statue in Cheltenham can be found on The Promenade, outside House of Fraser. It is a truly remarkable statue, and although not everyone loves it, it is worth a stop on your visit to Cheltenham.
The sculpture was initially part of a temporary exhibition of the work of Gloucestershire based artist Sophie Ryder; it featured at the Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery and it was created in 1995. The overwhelming public response to the exhibition fuelled the campaign to retain one of Sophie Ryder’s sculptures and the Hare and Minotaur was acquired by public subscription in 1998.
The statue itself features a female hare and a male Minotaur seated on an oversized bench. The statue itself stands taller than any person and is made of reclaimed scrap metal; up close you can spot cogs and cooker hobs, screws and all sorts, creating a really textured, tactile metal finish. At the end of 2017, the statue was removed for a month and taken for restoration at Sophie’s Foundry, where it was returned to its former glory before taking up its place on the Promenade once more. Sophie worked in partnership with Cheltenham Public Art Panel to organise and finance the restoration, after the statue’s presence on the Prom for almost twenty years!
The Minotaur and the Hare - Promenade, Cheltenham
Heading up the Promenade in Cheltenham. We stopped off for a drink in the House of Fraser at Cafe Zest, before heading to that fountain with benches.
By Sophie Ryder, 1995.
Bronze sculpture of the Minotaur and the Hare sitting on a bench.
Purchased by public
subscription 1998
with the generous
support of —
Beaufort Homes
the Baker family
and the people of
Cheltenham
You are here: Things To Do > The Hare and the Minotaur
The Hare and the Minotaur
The Promenade, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL50 1PJ
Visit Website
The Hare and the Minotaur
About
The Hare and the Minotaur Statue in Cheltenham can be found on The Promenade, outside House of Fraser. It is a truly remarkable statue, and although not everyone loves it, it is worth a stop on your visit to Cheltenham.
The sculpture was initially part of a temporary exhibition of the work of Gloucestershire based artist Sophie Ryder; it featured at the Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery and it was created in 1995. The overwhelming public response to the exhibition fuelled the campaign to retain one of Sophie Ryder’s sculptures and the Hare and Minotaur was acquired by public subscription in 1998.
The statue itself features a female hare and a male Minotaur seated on an oversized bench. The statue itself stands taller than any person and is made of reclaimed scrap metal; up close you can spot cogs and cooker hobs, screws and all sorts, creating a really textured, tactile metal finish. At the end of 2017, the statue was removed for a month and taken for restoration at Sophie’s Foundry, where it was returned to its former glory before taking up its place on the Promenade once more. Sophie worked in partnership with Cheltenham Public Art Panel to organise and finance the restoration, after the statue’s presence on the Prom for almost twenty years!