Crows of Bicester



Crow Sculpture Trail, Bicester Town Centre


Crows are handsome, intelligent birds, toolmakers, skilled at aerial displays, homemakers with strong family ties, and they adapt from rural to urban locations. All these aspects relate to the town's history and development.


Crown Crow



Sited in Crown Walk, the bronze Crow playfully steals the letter 'N' from the word 'Crown'.



Glass Crows



The two cast Glass Crows have a surface texture, combining lace and pattern. Lace Making was a cottage industry in Bicester, and Bicester today is known for designer fashion.



RAF/Homemaker Crow



The flying bronze Crow has two themes - the RAF and Homemakers. The RAF used to have a base near Bicester, its represented by wing - featuring plane parts instead of feathers with an RAF logo. The other wing is feathered, the crow is shown taking of from its perch with a stick in its beak to add to its nest - symbolising the new eco-homes being built in Bicester.



Bell Crow



The Bell Crow is sited by the window next to the history section in the new Bicester Library, which is fairly near to where a Bell foundry used to be in the 18th Century.



Crow's Nest



In front of the new Bicester Library stands the Crow's Nest sculpture. A welded and galvanised Crow stands over its nest containing three glass eggs, lit by two solar lights at night. They are set into the top of the Oak plinth (which will weather grey). Carved into the surface of the plinth's sides are shallow reliefs depicting feathers. This work represents the history of buildings in Bicester from the traditional oak framed buildings which used timber from Bernwood Forest, to the use of wood for the screen of the new car park nearby. The nest is made from lengths of steel rebar, like those used in the construction industry, and the steel crow is welded from a selection of old tools.