News & Events PUTTING THE HORSE BACK INTO THE WALK

Here's how we brought the horse back to the Flying Horse Walk.

WHEN the Flying Horse Walk undertook a refurbishment in November, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put the horse back into the Flying Horse Walk.

As part of the £100,000 makeover, the once familiar ‘flying horse’ statue of the walk, which was taken down by the previous owners of the mall, was reinstated. 

Owners London & County commissioned three contemporary horse sculptures for the new walk – two smaller ones to sit on top of its back entrance at St Peter’s Gate, and a larger one to sit on top of the main entrance on the Poultry.

Simon Blair of London & County said that the reason he decided to commission the sculptures was because the symbol of the horse was important to the local community.

Simon said: “After London & County took over the mall, I began talking to the arcade’s retailers and local people about how it could be improved. Everyone I spoke to mentioned the white horse sculpture that once stood at the top of the walk.

“There seemed to be a great attachment to this iconic symbol and also to the wider heritage of the walk, and so these themes played an important role in our refurbishment and rebranding work.

“We decided to commission a bold, modern work of art, to bring the rich heritage of the walk into the twenty first century. Also, as beautiful and interesting pieces of art, I hope that the sculptures will also act as a way to catch the eyes of people in Nottingham - a bustling shopping city.”

The sculptures, made out of welded steel and stainless steel mesh, were the creation of artist Amy Goodman, who is renowned for her equestrian sculptures and paintings. 

Aside from the Flying Horse Walk, Amy has undertaken some notable commissions including portraits of ex-England cricketer Robin Smith and a bronze bust of the late Graham Hill. More recently she was commissioned by the Duchy of Lancaster to make a life-size dairy cow and calf for a business development in Crewe.

She said: “It was a real honour to be asked to make the horse sculptures for the Flying Horse Walk. It was a challenge to create sculptures that were both aesthetically pleasing and technically precise, but it worked out really well in the end.

“I think that the translucent effect of the steel and mesh adds to the mythical aspect of the horse sculptures – the main horse, after all, is based on Pegasus – taken from Greek mythology. The sculptures were also designed to look different according to the light and the time of day.”

Simon continued: “I am thrilled with the horse sculptures. I hope that shoppers in Nottingham will be glad that they have been brought back and that their beauty will be admired for many years to come.”