THE WORLD’S LARGEST LIVER BIRD TOOK TO THE CITY’S SKIES TODAY AS IT ARRIVED IN LIVERPOOL FOR THE FIRST TIME.

Commissioned by The Derwent Group, Liverpool City Council and Spin Master – the owners of Meccanoä and designed by internationally-renowned local artist Emma Rodgers, the new Liver Bird took its first flight as it was craned into place at Liverpool Shopping Park.

Made of fabricated Meccanoä pieces to commemorate Liverpool-born toy-maker Frank Hornby and the first Meccano factory on Binns Road, the sculpture stands at 11 metres tall and has taken more than a year to design and manufacture.

Weighing seven tonnes, the Liver Bird, created by Leicester-based metal-workers, Art Fabrications, was carefully lifted from a low-loader by a specialist team and crane onto a purpose-built plinth. It will now undergo finally assembly and finishing touches ahead of its official ‘reveal’ later this week.

The Liver Bird sculpture will take pride of place at the centre of Liverpool Shopping Park, the new £100m retail and leisure scheme which has regenerated the former Edge Lane Retail Park and surrounding land.

Russell Hall, general manager of Liverpool Shopping Park: “It really is a spectacle to see such a feat of engineering craned into place after months of preparation, design and fabrication. The Liver bird is possibly the city’s most iconic symbol so it seems very fitting to have our own here at Liverpool Shopping Park and we’re excited to see it in place. It’s also very special to be able to recognise the site’s heritage as home to the first Meccano factory in such a creative way too.”

Expected to be a popular landmark for the local community, the bird has been installed in time to support the opening of the new shopping parks’ first retailers, which include H&M, Outfit, Smyths Toys and JD Sports, on October 20th.

Liverpool Shopping Park is part of the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation.

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