The Bolton Elephants.

The symbol of the elephant has been used in Bolton for a long time. One of the first recorded uses was in the official stamp of the Clerk to the Board of Trustees in 1799.

The Trustees of Great Bolton adopted an elephant and castle as the town’s emblem long before the incorporation of the borough in 1838. The elephants pictured below, weighing 1062kg each are made from cast iron. The elephants were originally situated atop of the gateposts of the Bolton Bleachworks, where they stayed for over 100 years until the demolition of the works. From there, they were moved to sit on top of the town center charity canopy before it was dismantled in 2014.

Structures Group received a phone call from Bolton Council asking for their help reinstating Bolton’s iconic cast iron elephants, after both councilors and residents of Bolton expressed they were keen to see the historic elephants given a new home.

The pair of elephants, whom had spent a number of years in storage, required a great deal of attention before packing their trunks and relocating above Bella Pizza (Octagon Court) to form part of the new play area being created by the council. The elephants – which collectively weigh more than a ton – needed to be situated high up and away from the play area itself so as not to cause any danger to youngsters.

The weight of the elephants required careful lifting. An excavator moved the figures on to a vehicle before they were transported to Structures Group’s yard for abrasive cleaning (using the TORC machine). Following the removal of the former paint, the
elephants were primed and repainted using epoxy paint to protect the figures from weathering.

Structures Group made a frame to span the roof of the elephant’s new location in order to take their weight. The elephants were resin anchored to this frame by crane in the night, ready to be unveiled the next day.