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All the United Kingdom England Sheffield 'Allen the Peregrine Falcon'
AO Edited

'Allen the Peregrine Falcon'

This Sheffield sculpture composed of 17,000 Allen keys honors both urban falcons and a furniture icon.

Sheffield, England

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‘Allen the Peregrine Falcon’   Graham Hogg
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Close-up on details.   SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Allen now perched near her fellow falcons.   Neil Theasby
A Peregrine Falcon perched atop St.Georges’ Church.   Dave Pickersgill
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Originally installed outside Sheffield’s main railway station, "Allen the Peregrine Falcon" is now perched on the campus of the University of Sheffield outside the Diamond building. The statue was created in 2017 by local artist Jason Helpenstall in recognition of IKEA opening a store in the city.

Helpenstall chose to represent the record-breaking bird of prey in honor of Sheffield’s growing number of real-life peregrines. The falcons have been a familiar sight in the city since 2012 when a few nested and adopted St George’s church tower as their new home. This church tower in fact looks over Allen’s present perch, allowing the birds to gaze over their metallic memento.

The peregrine falcon not only honors Sheffield but also the local IKEA. The statue is actually composed of  17,000 Allen keys, the traditional tool used to assemble IKEA furniture. 

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Art Sculptures Birds

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AdOYo

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  • SEANETTA

Published

June 7, 2021

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Sources
  • https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/peregrine-falcons-sheffield-university-urban-statue-interest-1.787906
  • https://www.sheffieldguide.blog/2020/05/17/allen-the-falcon-a-sculpture-made-from-ikea-keys/
  • https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/incredible-peregrine-falcon-sculpture-appears-sheffield-made-entirely-ikea-allen-keys-443430?amp
  • https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/amazing-ikea-sculpture-outside-sheffield-station-get-new-home-438656
  • https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/ikea-made-a-giant-falcon-out-of-17000-allen-keys-for-this-store-opening/
'Allen the Peregrine Falcon'
217 Portobello
Sheffield, England, S1 4DP
United Kingdom
53.381436, -1.481595
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