Oak in Wye loop

The River Wye in Flood

Ross-on-Wye

Sculptures by the Wye

The sculptures that can be seen beside the Wye at Ross-on-Wye and outside the "Man of Ross" pub were made by local sculptor Walenty Pytel. Walenty Pytel has is a internationally renowned British sculptor and Europe's leading sculptor in metal specialising in birds and beasts.

Walenty was commissioned in 1997 by South Herefordshire District Council to produce the three sculptures that can be found in Ross-on-Wye. The themes for the sculptures were drawn from nature and creatures found in and around the Wye, where Walenty likes to fish for Salmon, and took a year to produce.

The Salmon sculpture (Click for a larger image)

The sculpture outside of the "Man of Ross" depicts three salmon leaping and diving. These stand eight feet high and needed around 8,000 welds to hold the sculpture together.

The second sculpture, that can be easily seen off Wye Street, depicts three Mallard ducks flying and with feet down possibly coming in to land on the river.

The Mallard sculpture (Click for a larger image)

The Swans sculpture (Click for a larger image)

The third sculpture, along side the Rope Walk, depicts Swans flying down to land.

Amongst Walenty's best known public works is the majestic twenty six foot Jubilee Fountain standing under Big Ben at the Houses of Parliament and was commissioned by Parliament for the Queens Jubilee year. He also created the extraordinary Fosser sculpture for the JCB company. This is the largest metal sculpture in Europe, standing forty five feet high and weighing thirty six tonnes. He has also produced a twenty eight foot sculpture of Three Egrets to commemorate forty years of peace in Europe and this can be seen at Birmingham International Airport. More details on Walenty's work can be found here.

Oak in Wye loop

The River Wye in Flood