Statues - Hither & Thither

 

Description

Scattered on eaves, rooftops, and chimneys, there are at least 23 cat status all around the old city of York. The original pair dates roughly to c. 1900 (nos. 12 and 13), and it is said that that they were designed to scare the rats from the nearby river. In 1983 architect (and cat lover) Tom Adams commissioned local artist Jonathan Newdick to design new cat sculptures, and use the historic originals as inspiration for a new town tradition. Newdick made since then Cat Sculptures for fourteen York buildings and offices. Other business and building owners started following suit, creating a new identity for the town and a small cottage industry of cat-related tourist shops. There is a Cat Trail which can be picked up free from York Glass on The Shambles (and also downloadable, see sources below), along 22 (23) cat sculptures. We followed that trail and photographed them all.

Walk Route: The Shambles > Pavement > Colliergate > King's Square > St. Andrewgate > Bartle Garth > Bedern > Goodramgate > King's Square > The Shambles > Pavement > Fossgate > Walmgate to cat 9a and the back > Merchantgate > Piccadilly > Coppergate > Nessgate > Low Ousegate > South Esplanade > Friar's Terrace > back to Low Ousegate > Spurriergate > Coney Street > Lendal > Museum gardens follow city wall to Bootham > Gillygate to cat 19 and back > High Petergate > Stonegate to cat 20 and back > Low Petergate > King's Square

1. 'Ghostly' white cat (Pavement, Golden Fleece)
2. Sitting cat, the only silhouette of a cat (Colliergate)
3. Climbing cat by Newdick (= 8) (Colliergate at King's Square)
4. Cat chasing a dove (= 14) (King's Square, Duke of York)
5. Climbing cat (St. Andrewgate 1/2)
6. Crouching cat by Newdick, looking at no. 5 (St. Andrewgate 1)
7. 'Sitting cat looking' by Newdick (= 18) (Goodramgate 36)
8. "Lucky Cat" Climbing cat by Newdick (= 3) (The Shambles 34)
9. 'Sitting cat looking' by Newdick (= 7, 18) (Walmgate 25, Walmgate Ale House)
9a. Golden sitting cat (= 10) (Walmgate 29)
10. Golden sitting cat (= 9a) (Walmgate 24, Watergate Inn, garden)
11. Looking cat (Coppergate 12, The Three Tuns)
12. Climbing cat, probably from c. 1900 (Low Ousegate 5)
13. Ferocious looking cat, probably from c. 1900 (Low Ousegate 3)
14. Cat chasing (= 4) (Coney Street 29-31, riverside)
15. Difficult to find cat (Friars Terrace)
16. Cat balancing in the windowsill, stalking the neighbour cat no. 15 (South Esplanade)
17. Looking cat (Coney Street 25)
18."Chambers", 'sitting cat looking' by Newdick (= 7, 9) (Museum Street, Club Chambers)
19. White sitting cat (Gillygate 26)
20. "Gordon" - Red cat (Stonegate 35)
21. White sitting cat (Low Petergate 45)
22. "Fortuitous Cat", very different (The Shambles 15-19)

N.B. The marker on the map of York indicates cat no. 8, where you can get the leaflet. On the map below are all cats marked.

Sculptor

• Jonathan Newdick (Newbury 1948), English artist and illustrator from York (Website – Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

• Atlas obscura, Cat Statues of York.
• Jonathan Newdick, Gallery.
• Yorkpress, 1 February 2006, Farewell to the black cat man (obituary Tom Adams).
• York Lucky Cats, The York Lucky Cats story (with downloadable cat trail map).
• Willfield Camera Club, Photographing the Fabulous York Cat Trail.

Tags

• Town: York
• County: North Yorkshire
• Subdivision: Yorkshire & Humberside
• Country: Great Britain
• Cat
• Newdick, Jonathan

Locatie (N 53°57'33" - W 1°4'48") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

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