The Great Wall of Walcot – - Atlas Obscura

What began as a creative scheme to encourage footfall in what is known as the “Artisan Quarter” of Bath, has now become a varying spectacle of human faces and mythological creatures. Spearheaded by independent and local businessman Martin Tracy, owner of The Framing Workshop, located at No. 80 Walcot. The Faces of Walcot is a series of what can only be described as grotesques, which was unveiled on August 16th, 2013

The stone likeness of Mr. Tracy’s face has joined a growing number of other fantastic creatures. What began as small number of four heads in the mid-1980’s, has now expanded to include some three dozen depictions. These grinning images represent the more than 80 independent businesses that line the opposing side of the street. They also include a number of residents who live nearby. The project has been described as: ‘In a sterling display of community spirit, businesses and residents have worked together to create a veritable trail along the central part of Walcot Street, where a display of comic, realistic and sometimes metrical stone faces celebrate over thirty years of recent history.’

Walcot Street lies just a short distance north east of the Pulteney Bridge (https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pulteney-weir-and-bridge). The Great Wall of Walcot acts as a retaining barrier, with some of the heads filling in drainage holes of the retaining wall that runs parallel to the Paragon up above. Not all the faces are human, some are unconventional depictions of beast and other unusual flora and fauna. The wall runs a distance of more than 20 feet, with the heads intermittently dispersed throughout.

Know Before You Go

Please use care and caution when observing the faces. Walcot Street is a busy commuter's travel way in and out of the city center. Though the heads can be viewed close up, the sidewalk adjacent to the wall is rather narrow.