Giant harbourside heron sculpture installed

A giant heron sculpture has been installed on the harbourside Castletown as part of a planned art trail in the south of the Isle of Man.

A 26ft (8m) steel structure was created by artists Darren Jackson and Stephanie Quayle-Jackson at their Farmyard Studio in St Mark's.

Situated on an existing plinth over the harbour, it was organised by the Creative Network as part of plans for the trail from Castletown to Ballasalla.

Myra Gilbert of the network said it was "a wonderful piece of iconic public art to mark the beginning of our Silverburn Art Trail".

The committee thanked the artists for "bringing their bold creative vision and consummate technical skills to this collaborative project", she added.

The 10 tonne sculpture is anchored down to a concrete slab on the plinth with cables

Ms Quayle-Jackson said the location was a "gateway" to the town and the sculpture was a "celebration of the nature and wildlife that we are so lucky to have".

The sculpture, which weighs about 10 tonnes, took five years to create from the initial concept designs to its installation.

Mr Jackson said the project had been a "long time coming", but it had been a relief to see it in place and it was "nice to hear people talking about it".

He said while he had initially fearer it could "overpower the landscape", once in place it was not as big as he had envisaged and "seems to fit quite well".

The heron was lifted into place in Castletown on Tuesday

The project was funded by a grant from the Manx Lottery Trust and the work is set to be officially gifted to Castletown Commissioners in a future handing over ceremony.

The local authority said the only financial of by the town had been for the cost of the installation of the sculpture, which was about £2,000.

Chairwoman Beth Cannan said she had "no doubt" the heron would "become a landmark and a great talking point for Castletown and beyond".