The Weathered Man

This statue dubbed ‘The Weathered Man’ was installed in 2006 and adorns a £4 million drainage culvert in Sandford Park which, as part of Cheltenham’s £21 million flood relief project, was designed to protect the town from a once-in-100 years flood. It was created by sculptor James Gould who designed it as a “relaxing” feature, his inspiration coming from a family photo which showed him lying on a bridge and looking down at water below. However, so far it has not enjoyed the happiest of histories, on the one hand being labelled as a complete waste of money by some local residents and, on the other, being the target for theft in September 2010 when two men attempted to steal the bronze statue which weighs half a tonne!