The Guardian, the Original Birmingham Bull Sculpture – England - Atlas Obscura

The Guardian, the Original Birmingham Bull Sculpture

Since 2022 the giant mechanical bull sculpture, which became the icon of the Commonwealth Games, is the sculpture that people think about when one mentions the Birmingham Bull but this one is the original. 

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This beautiful bronze statue stands as a symbol in front of the Bullring shopping centre in Birmingham, England. The term “Bullring” refers to  a shopping centre in the area of Birmingham where from the 12th to the 18th century bulls were baited with dogs as a form of sport and entertainment and as an opportunity for gambling.  This barbaric practice also had another purpose. It was believed (quite wrongly) that the tormenting of the animal prior to slaughter improved the quality of its meat. In fact in some towns in England it was ,at one time, illegal to sell meat for human consumption if it had not been baited. The area where bull baiting took place became known as the Bull Ring (it is the shopping centre where the name is just one word) and the name stuck, even after the practice was made illegal in the 19th century. A shopping centre was constructed with the name Bull Ring in the 1960s then redeveloped as the Bullring in 2003

At the main entrance to the west building  of the Bullring stands is  a bronze sculpture of an active bull which is just over 7 feet high. Officially entitled “The Guardian” it was created by Laurence Broderick and until 2022 it was possibly the most popular sculpture in Birmingham. In 2022 the Commonwealth Games bull probably took over that mantle but this bronze has a beauty and tactile quality that the giant  animated bull lacks. The Guardian  was vandalised in 2005, and it had to be  removed for repairs, but was returned to its spot again later that year.  With the intention of giving Brummies (as the inhabitants of Birmingham are known) a feeling of ownership the sculptor supported to calls for the statue to be renamed “Brummie the Bull” but for years it has just been known locally as  “The Bull”. 

The Bull finds itself dressed up from time to time for such events as Christmas and St Patrick’s day.

 

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