Nick Park CBE unveils statue of Feathers McGraw at Animate Preston
Nick Park CBE, four-time Academy Award®-winner and Preston-born creator of Wallace & Gromit, has officially opened the city’s £45m+ Animate entertainment and leisure destination.
The Honorary Freeman of Preston and multi award-winning filmmaker, unveiled a four-foot-high bronze statue of Feathers McGraw, the villainous penguin character in the Wallace & Gromit animated films, to mark the opening, close by to the existing famous Wallace & Gromit bench at Preston Markets.
Joining Nick at the unveiling were the Mayor of Preston Councillor Philip Crowe, Chris Butler and Chris Jones, owners and directors of Castle Fine Arts Foundry, which created the statue, and Merlin Crossingham, Bafta@ award-winning creative co-director of Wallace & Gromit at Aardman Animations.
Nick and Merlin are executive directors and creative directors, respectively, at Bristol-based independent studio Aardman, makers of the Wallace & Gromit films and other beloved brands, including Shaun the Sheep, Creature Comforts, Chicken Run, and Morph.
Nick Park CBE said: “As a proud Prestonian, I couldn’t be more ‘egg-cited’ to see our infamous Feathers McGraw joining Wallace and Gromit in my hometown.
“I’m not sure how happy Wallace and Gromit will be, though, to have their arch nemesis clutching the limelight.”
Councillor Matthew Brown, Leader at Preston City Council said: “To have Nick Park officially opening our flagship regeneration scheme, Animate, is a genuine honour and landmark moment for the Council and the city. In addition, the new Feathers McGraw statue is a fantastic complement to the Wallace and Gromit bench, which has drawn so many visitors to Preston – its popularity has blown us away.
“Today heralds a new era for Preston, providing an unrivalled multi-tenanted entertainment and leisure complex for residents and visitors from the wider regionin the ownership of our city.”
Chris Jones, Director at Castle Fine Arts Foundry added: “It was such an honour for us all at the Foundry to be given the opportunity to depict the deliciously malign Feathers McGraw in bronze, having enjoyed creating Wallace & Gromit a couple of years ago.
“We had felt Feathers ‘wee beady eyes’ upon us in the workshop for a good few months since we completed him, so it was both a relief and a joy to put him where he truly belongs, alongside his arch nemeses in Preston.”
Animate features The Arc Cinema with eight screens, 16-lane Hollywood Bowl bowling alley with gaming zone, public realm, a socialising unit and 164-space basement car park, alongside leading family restaurant brands Ask Italian, Cosmo, Taco Bell, Argento Lounge and a variety of street food outlets and a cocktail bar in Mad Giant Food Hall, run by Northern Lights Group.
The scheme was delivered by Maple Grove Developments (MGD), part of Preston-based contractor Eric Wright Group, on behalf of Preston City Council. Commercial property agents Sanderson Weatherall are the estate managers.
Built on the former indoor market and car park site, Animate is fully owned by Preston City Council and is one of six major projects in Preston’s Harris Quarter Towns Fund Investment Programme, a £200m programme including £20.9m of funding by UK Government to support several regeneration projects.
The leisure scheme supports the Council’s commitment to Community Wealth Building – a fair, inclusive and ethical approach to fostering sustainable economic development and prosperity for all in Preston – via measures including using locally based businesses and the creation of approximately 300 full and part-time jobs when fully open and 105 apprenticeship weeks worked throughout the construction period to date.
Opening dates at Animate:
- Argento Lounge – Open
- Taco Bell – Open
- The Arc Cinema – Open
- Hollywood Bowl – opening March
- Ask Italian – opening early April
- Mad Giant Food Hall – coming soon
- Cosmo – coming soon