Rushden Lakes Shopping Centre is a unique place to shop, eat, and explore, offering a world of outdoor discovery at the gateway to the Nene Wetlands. It combines a modern shopping centre with the natural world, promoting the environment – something that we are happy to be a part of. As part of the development, they asked us to build a series of giant animal sculptures and wooden animal carvings – all based on creatures that live in the local environment.

We made several giant bird and hare sculptures, constructed from metal frames and finished with hand woven willow, in addition to many different birds, mammals, and insects that populate the local environment. These are now positioned around the grounds of Rushden Lakes for all visitors to enjoy.

Giant Animal Sculptures

We made a hare, a flying swan, two racing swallows, and three starlings from willow woven onto metal frames. Each structure is far larger than reality… far larger than a human, in fact, so they are quite striking for visitors who encounter them for the first time.

The Hare

giant hare sculpture — The hare, mid run

giant hare sculpture head 1 — The head of the hare

giant hare bottom — All of the willow is woven by hand

giant hare with russell sitting on it — Size comparison with Russell

A Swan Taking Flight

swan flying rear view rushden lakes sculptures — The swan takes flight over the car park

flying swan rushden lakes sculptures — Shoppers can’t miss the huge structure

Two Racing Swallows

swallow flight rushden lakes sculptures — Poised in mid flight

racing swallow sculptures — The sculptures are easily visible

giant racing swallows to human size comparison — Size comparison with Russell, our Founder

Three Hungry Starlings

three giant starlings — The starlings are on a giant bird table

three chatty starlings rushden lakes sculptures — Each has a different pose

starlings rushden lakes sculptures — The table even has ‘food’ they are eating

Wooden Animal Carvings

Incorporating many different creatures from the local wildlife, we placed many carvings around the site for visitors to discover.

duck carving wooden sculpture rushden lakes — A duck by the water

otter carving on ground — A ground mounted otter carving

owl carving in tree 1 — An owl carving, mounted in a tree

kingfisher carving in tree — A tree mounted kingfisher

snake carving coiled wooden sculpture rushden lakes — Carving of a coiled snake

water vole face wooden sculpture rushden lakes — A water vole

Other Creations At Rushden Lakes

In addition to giant sculptures and wooden animal carvings, we also built a picnic shelter, four nature-themed play areas, and a pond dipping platform at Rushden Lakes. Below are a few pictures of these other creations.

picnic benches and shelter — Picnic Shelter

rushden lakes pond dipping platform — Pond Dipping Platform

menacing spider climb rushden lakes play area — Spider Climb

sinking ship rushden lakes play area — Sinking Ship Play Area

bat carving in tree — Bat carving hanging from a tree

Creating Your Perfect Sculptures & Carvings

Use the giant animal sculptures and wooden animal carvings on this page as inspiration for your project, as well as the other wooden carvings and sculptures that we have made over the years. We love a creative challenge, so no matter whether you are looking for something similar to what we have already made or something completely new and unique, we are up to it!

To start the design process, please get in touch with us and let us know what you are looking for. We look forward to hearing from you.

How To Order

Tell us a little about the project and thoughts you might already have. Russell, our founder and designer, will then be in touch. Often we will visit the area and research the theme comprehensively.

You'll receive a drawn plan, written proposal and a fixed price quote for the project, along with any recommendations for design and materials.

If you're happy with the proposal then construction begins. We'll send you pictures and updates ready for when we deliver and install.

Rushden Lakes Giant Sculptures & Animal Carvings