The story behind the Bull sculpture at the Bullring shopping centre

Do you remember the extraordinary scenes of the day it arrived?

It’s been rated one of the world’s top ten pieces of public art in the world and the city centre Bull sculpture has certainly stood the test of time.

Weighing in at six tonnes, the bronze Bull statue is an absolute beast of a work of art – dynamic, even though it never moves.

Forceful, even though it’s go no teeth. And mindful, too, even though it cannot speak.

You only have to stand next to it for a few minutes on any given day – and especially at weekends when families are out on force in non-pandemic times – to see how this majestic symbol of the commercial heart of Britain’s second city reaches out to people of all ages and faiths.

The number of people who stop to either photograph it in isolation – or, more likely, to want to be be photographed next to it – is nothing short of remarkable.

It’s almost as if it’s what mobile phone cameras were invented for as they are both just about as old as each other.

In short, the Bull is the sculpture that the city has literally taken to its heart.

Far more, even, than the nearby one of Lord Nelson overlooking St Martin in the Bull Ring Church.

Unveiled in 1809 and made by Richard Westmacott, it is the oldest publicly funded statue in the city – but not as much loved it, would seem, as the Bull.

But did you know just 12 weeks before its installation on July 30, 2003, there was a DUMMY run? Well, we were there to record the arrival of the lightweight ‘fake’ Bull.

The test run

Considering it keeps taking four years of disruption to build a mile or so of tram tracks in the city centre, it’s remarkable that the entire Bullring shopping centre was built from 2000 to 2003.

The quality of the materials on the inside at least mean that it hasn’t aged a bit.

Only some of the lighter coloured bricks on the outside beg the question: ‘What are we going to do with these in the long run?’

But as the Bullring centre neared completion, the day came when it became necessary to prepare for the arrival of its crowning glory.

And so a dummy Bull arrived 17 years ago on April 28, 2003 – three months before the real sculpture would be fitted with just five weeks to spare before the centre itself would open.

Artist Laurence Broderick was photographed with the full size model (see above).

But when it was waiting on High Street to make its grand entrance, it looked for all the world as if it was flying through the air and couldn’t wait to get into position.

The real deal

Late July was the time chosen to install the Bull for real.

April’s dummy run had been a success and the bronze heavyweight duly arrived on the back of a truck operated by Russell Machinery Transport from Cheltenham.

The vehicle’s orange, white and green livery lent itself well to the occasion.

Workers wore high-vis tops and helmets as they worked out how to precisely lower the Bull into position using a muscular hydraulic arm at the rear.

Four chains came down from a central hook towards yellow belts attached to each corner of the Bull’s metal base.

All it would take from a workman below would be a gentle nudge to swing the base into position.

A space just large enough had been left in the block paving so that builders would soon be able to finish the area off.

The opening

The Bull was then encased inside a giant box for safekeeping.

On the day the Bullring opened on September 4, 2003 a giant crowd gathered in Rotunda Square to greet the sculpture as it emerged surrounded by dry ice

And then, of course, everyone went shopping!

The official opening was performed by the then Birmingham City Council leader Sir Albert Bore, with retailers opening their doors on the stroke of 10am.

Exactly ten years later, on September 3, 2013, the £188 million Library of Birmingham was opened by future Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, who had been shot in the head by the Taliban on October 9, 2012 before being flown to Birmingham for life-saving treatment.

On that occasion, Sir Albert was away at a climate change conference in Lithuania.

Colourful life

Twice the size of a real bull to give it more impact, the Bull was temporarily turned silver for its fifth anniversary in 2008.

On July 8, 2010, artist Laurence Broderick was back in the city to launch an exhibition of smaller Bull sculptures which went on show at Ruben Colley Fine Arts in St Mary’s Row, Moseley, from July 9 to 23 when he said he divided his time between his studios on the Isle of Skye and Cambridge.

The sculpture was declared one of the world’s top ten public works of art in 2015.

In February that year the sculpture was listed by The Independent newspaper alongside such iconic sights as New York’s Statue of Liberty and Michelangelo’s David as one of the world’s great sculptures.

Then aged 79, Mr Broderick said: “It’s quite incredible to think that the bull has become so successful.

“The Bullring developers told me that the Bull would become very, very famous.

“I didn’t think about that at the time, but I agreed to do it and I went all out to make sure it was going to be a fantastic bull.

“The idea was to make it special – powerful and strong, everything that Birmingham is.”

Over the years it has been used to promote the Bullring itself, for model shoots and to advertise everything from a Big Bandage Appeal at the Birmingham Children’s Hospital to Black Friday in 2016.

Designer’s both from mecouture.com in Birmingham and charity jeansforgenes appeal, dressed the bull in a pair of jeans in 2006.

On December 11, 2017 we photographed it covered in snow – a rare feat in the 17 years of its existence.

The following year, the Bull’s bearded Christmas appearance in 2018 was described as making it look like ‘Roy Wood with bling’.

Perhaps its saddest special event was on St Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2020 when the Bull had been dressed to look like it was ready for the craic.

But there was hardly anybody there because of the social distancing measures that were already being taken ahead.

Later that week, the looming coronavirus pandemic lockdowns were ordered by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on March 20 and 23.

And funnily enough, the years include Tony Blair’s former head of communications, Alastair Campbell.

And it’s doubtful if he was ever pictured laughing this much while at the heart of the then New Labour government.

On January 9, 2020, the new director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet Carlos Acosta – who was born in Cuba – visited the Bull on his first day at work.

You cannot but be impressed with the foresight of that decision since it won’t be until all Brummies are properly reunited with their favourite sculpture on a shopping trip that we’ll know for sure that the current coronavirus nightmare is finally over.