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Preston has a new statue and he’s ruffling feathers further afield.
Feathers McGraw is keeping his beady eyes on Wallace and Gromit between Animate and Preston Market.
He’s the second Nick Park and Aardman related statue in the city following the unveiling of the Wallace and Gromit bench in 2021.
Read more: ‘I have to pinch myself’ – Nick Park’s emotional reaction to new Preston statue of Feathers McGraw
Here’s everything you need to know about the city’s new inanimate object…
Where is he?
Feathers is perched on some seating on the edge of the Animate complex towards Orchard Street.
He faces across to the Wallace and Gromit bench – clutching his sinister remote control – and wearing his distinctive rubber glove hat.
See the map below for the exact spot
Who is Feathers?
He first appeared in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers as the silent villainous penguin.
Originally thought to be a chicken, he wears a red rubber glove on top of his head as his disguise.
He returned in 2024’s Vengeance Most Fowl film confirming his status as a super villain.
He has a growing worldwide fan club, with the BBC reporting tattoo parlours are seeing demand for Feathers-related tattoos.
How is Preston connected to Wallace and Gromit?
Nick Park, creator of Wallace and Gromit, was born in Preston. He’s regularly back in the city too – despite his firm Aardman having their base in Bristol.
He grew up on the Greenlands Estate in Ribbleton before moving to Walmer Bridge. Nick attended Preston College – where the library is named after him.
Nick married his wife, Mags Connolly, at Gibbon Bridge Hotel near Preston in September 2016.
Wallace and Gromit films contain plenty of nods to Nick’s home city – with butter pies most recently featuring. See the video below explaining them or watch on YouTube.
Where was the Feathers McGraw statue made?
Castle Fine Arts Foundry in the Welsh borders created Feathers. They also cast the Wallace and Gromit bench.
What’s the statue made out of?
He’s a bronze statue.
How was he made?
We’ll let Chris Jones, director of the Castle Fine Arts Foundry explain.
He said: “The process of creating Feathers in bronze was a long and challenging one. It all began when we received the original model from Aardman. This small ‘animation size’ maquette needed to be enlarged to 4ft in height to ensure its size would work harmoniously with the existing Wallace & Gromit sculpture.
“State-of-the-art digital technology was employed to scan the small model and then 3D print an enlarged version at the full scale; this modern process was then juxtaposed against the ancient art of ‘lost wax’ bronze casting.
“The first part of the casting process was to create a silicon rubber and fibreglass mould from the 3D print enlargement. Next, a number of layers of wax were painted into the mould to create a hollow wax replica of the 4 ft model.
“Following that, the wax was cut into sections and coated in several layers of a ceramic mix. These ‘shells’ were then super-heated to melt out the wax (hence the lost wax process), leaving robust, hollow ‘shells’ ready to be filled with molten bronze.
“Now for the really exciting bit – we poured 1200-degree molten metal into the ‘shells’ to create an array of bronze castings. When cool, these castings were cleaned, welded together and crafted in the metal workshop to create the finished sculpture.
“All that was left then was to apply the final colour in a process called patination, and the sculpture, or should I say Feathers, was ready to be installed and unleashed upon Preston!”
Why was Feathers put in place?
He was unveiled on Thursday 20 February 2025 was part of the civic opening of Animate – a new eight-screen cinema The Arc Preston and leisure and restaurant complex in the city centre of Preston.
Who unveiled him?
Feathers was wrapped up in a red sheet (and tied up for good measure) and then unveiled by Nick Park, his creator, and Mayor of Preston councillor Phil Crowe.
Watch the moment he was unveiled below, or on YouTube
Are there any restrictions on visiting him?
No, he’s in a public place which is always open. Be warned, Feathers is not under cover though and Preston has a rather damp climate.
Are there other statues in the city?
As well as the nearby Wallace and Gromit bench there’s also
- the Preston Martyrs statue in Lune Street marking the deaths in the Corn Riots
- Sir Robert Peel statue in Winckley Square
- The Cotton Reel in Avenham Road
- The Sevastopol Cannons in Avenahm Park on the Colonnade
- Boer War Monument in Avenham Park (by the Japanese Garden)
- Earl of Derby statue in Miller Park
- The Splash commemorating Sir Tom Finney at Deepdale Stadium
There’s a handy walking trail and map on the Visit Preston website for how to explore the statues.
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