Weird & Wonderful in Weston-super-Mare

There's a lot more to Weston-super-Mare than meets the eye.  If it’s weird and wonderful you want, then put your walking shoes on and take a stroll around our way out west town!

Where else can you turn a corner and bump into boxer Floyd Mayweather – one of the many eye-catching murals on the hour-long JPS graffiti walk? Keep your eyes peeled because as you wander you won’t be able to miss other artists’ huge murals including a giant cockerel which stands proudly above the shops.

For a different experience visit Prince Consort Gardens. Here, every step you take will be watched by 17 pairs of stone-cold eyes. Be careful what you say though, because here the walls have ears too. This park, nestled above the town, is home to a collection of sculptures which look like a cross between gargoyles and goblins. It’s tempting to believe each face has an intriguing ancient story to tell but no, the sculptures were the final year project for an art student!

Many Weston visitors will have come on caravan holidays but only one caravanner’s stay is marked with a blue plaque. That accolade is reserved for former American President Dwight D Eisenhower who spent a night in a caravan in Weston Woods during WW2. There is a blue plaque near the water tower recognising his visit.

Another tower deserving of a second look is the Silica – a 30m tall steeple-like structure which climbs out of the town centre and features 6,000 cut glass prisms. Installed in 2006 it was designed as a spectacular artistic tribute to the town’s maritime history while at the same time incorporating a bus shelter, information display and kiosk in one super structure.  Standing against the seaside weather it was always going to be tough to retain its majesty and it’s now dubbed The Carrot by locals although its colour is closer to a parsnip.