'Giant cheese grater' sculpture installed in Hull park

The sculpture will be sited in Queen's Gardens after original plans for Beverley Gate were rejected

Work has started to install a 10m-high (33ft) metal sculpture in a city park.

The Solar Gate artwork is etched with key dates in Hull's history which will be highlighted in turn by the movement of the sun.

Designed by architects Tonkin Liu, the £310,000 structure was moved to Queen's Gardens after the original planned site in the city centre was rejected by councillors.

One councillor at the planning meeting likened it to a "giant cheese grater".

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The sculpture, part of the City of Culture 2017 public realm works, was originally designed to stand next to the remains of Beverley Gate, the site of the medieval entrance to Hull.

The recently refurbished gate was where King Charles I was refused entry to Hull in 1642, sparking the English Civil War.

'Fantastic addition'

However, the planned location next to a scheduled ancient monument attracted criticism from Hull Chamber of Commerce and some councillors.

Stephen Brady, Labour leader of Hull City Council, said: "Solar Gate will be a fantastic addition to the great work already done to create a grand new entrance into Queen's Gardens.

"Not only is Solar Gate totally unique, it's an incredibly clever concept that Tonkin Liu have developed."

The sculpture has been built by a specialist engineering firm based in Hull. It is expected the installation work will take a number of weeks.

Sunlight will shine through the sculpture illuminating key days in Hull's history