‘Sign of times’ as owl art caged over vandal fears
AN impressive owl sculpture in Solihull has been “caged” amid fears it could be targeted by suspected chainsaw vandals. Railings have gone up around the wooden artwork, which was only unveiled in Kineton Green Road, Olton, in March.
Steps have been taken to protect the piece following a “mindless” attack on similar wooden animals, in Shirley, over the summer.
Ward councillor Bob Grinsell said it was “a shame” that the metal railings were necessary but insisted they were designed to keep the piece safe.
Although some residents believe the barrier – which is over 6ft high – spoils the look of the carving, which was created in memory of the local naturalist Edith Holden.
Cllr Grinsell (Con, Olton) said it was a “sensitive” issue but recent events at Palmers Rough nature reserve, where owl and squirrel sculptures were removed with heavy-duty power tools, had caused concern.
“This is larger than the others and it’s in the public domain,” he said. “Nobody in the area wants damage coming to it.”
Options were discussed with council officers and Olton Residents’ Association, ahead of the railings being installed last week.
Cllr Grinsell said that other ideas had included installing CCTV or fitting a tracker, in the event the sculpture was stolen. But he suggested that cameras could have posed privacy issues, while any sort of tracking device would not prevent the artwork being removed in the first place. “It would be a case that the horse had already bolted or in fact the owl had flown.”
Opinions were definitely divided on the Olton Facebook group, with several residents saying the railings looked “awful.”
Julie Siassipour said: “It is such a lovely sculpture. So sad to have to put it behind bars.”
Fellow resident Bob Kilsby said: “A sign of the times that it’s necessary to do this, the cage takes the visual effect away of a superb carving.”
And Cecilia Haynes added “This just seems like a no win situation. Damned if you protect and damned if not.
“I would like to believe that it has been done with the best intention.” The owl was carved out of an old tree stump by the sculptor Robot Cossey.
It was unveiled just weeks before lockdown, as part of events to mark a 100 years since the death of celebrated wildlife-lover Ms Holden.
The writer and artist, who had lived in Kineton Green Road in the early 20th century, achieved international fame when her nature journal was published posthumously as The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady.