Wooden Animal Sculptures

The Scottish capital is famous for many things: its UNESCO World Heritage Site of the city’s Old and New Towns, the Edinburgh Castle, and its mid-city extinct volcano. However, one of Edinburgh’s new defining features seems to be its ability to influence sculptors. Artists have donated their works to public spaces and institutions around the city without much fanfare or information on their work.

The first of these artistic endeavors was likely the 2011 Book Sculptures, donated anonymously over a period of time to libraries, museums, and cinemas around the city. A 2017 tweet appears to be the first online mention of the badger and owl sculptures in the suburban forest of Seven Acre Park. In 2019, more of these wooden animals appeared seemingly overnight, inching closer to the city’s center along with another mysterious branch sculpture in a cemetery. 

The sculptures found in London Road Gardens feature a badger, owls, and a squirrel all intricately carved from wood. Other badgers and owls are also found in Seven Acre Park and Regent Road Park. These magnificent animal sculptures are located in areas mostly cleared of grass and other vegetation. It’s unknown if the sculptures were erected with permission from local authorities, or the artist or artists simply found the ideal area for their sculptures to be seen and enjoyed by everyone.