Art imitating life - majestic and motionless, this Heron stands watch over Isle of Man harbour town

                                                   

The 8-3-metre sculpture towers over the harbour in Castletown

A STRUCTURAL engineer had to be called in to ensure the stability of  a magnificent 26ft-tall sculpture of a Heron that was installed earlier this month  in Castletown on the Isle of Man.

Weighing 10 tonnes, it is the work of Stephanie Quayle and Darren Jackson, and  was a year in the making.

Even before the duo started, it took some five years to conceive the project, to secure planning permission and to raise funds, predominantly through the Manx Lottery and the year of Our Island Fund.

It was also necessary to pay a seven-year licence fee for occupying space on harbour land.

Herons (and Little Egrets) are common on the Isle of Man where some older residents refer to them as 'Cranes'.   

Indeed this bird has been named 'Coar Ny Hastan' which means 'Crane of the eels'.