News Maidstone’s ‘Magical Beasts’ Sculpture Trail launches

Hundreds of people flocked to Maidstone town centre today (Wednesday 3 April), to be part of the launch of the new ‘Magical Beasts’ Sculpture Trail.

Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) unveiled the brand new sculptures which was officially opened by the Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Gordon Newton.  The bespoke trail features six pieces of artwork which are fun and quirky designs including two baby Iguanodon dinosaurs, two cheeky gremlin characters and two baby elephants.

At the launch families were able to meet dinosaurs on a walkabout in the town centre with their handlers this morning which delighted the children who braved the rain.  They were then able to take part in more interactive fun including a lesson in ‘how to train your dinosaur’ at Lockmeadow this afternoon.

Revealing one of the sculptures in Brenchley Gardens this morning, the Mayor said:

I was absolutely delighted to be asked to officially launch this exciting new Magical Beast Trail this morning.

Maidstone is steeped in history and these brilliant pieces of artwork help bring so many different stories to life. This is a great initiative by Maidstone Borough Council and as a permanent art trail these little creatures are going to be able to share stories about the County Town for many years to come.

Starting in Brenchley Gardens, the trail continues along the riverside to the Archbishops’ Palace and on to the Lockmeadow Entertainment Complex. Each sculpture has a QR code which provides lots of information about the different aspects of Maidstone’s fascinating heritage from geology to local industries and the town’s Market.

The MBC Magical Beast Trail also features on a newly developed digital app ‘Maidstone Trails,’ which guides users around historic sites and landmarks in the town. The app can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. More information can be found at: https://www.visitmaidstone.com/things-to-do/tours-and-sightseeing/maidstone-trails-app

The new sculptures were designed and created by father and son artist team, Gary and Thomas Thrussell, who also made the Iguanodon sculpture at Maidstone East Railway Station, which also links to the new art trail.

This project – Magical Beasts Sculpture Trail, received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which brings together local residents to help improve areas in their community whilst boosting their own wellbeing.

Information about UKSPF can be found at: UK Shared Prosperity Fund

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